Birmingham, AL – Payton Deidesheimer came off the bench to score 14 kills as the Austin Peay State University (APSU) volleyball team rallied to win a four-set match (18-25, 25-18, 25-21, 25-21) against Florida A&M in its second match of the UAB Blazer Invitational Friday at Bartow Arena.
The win saw Austin Peay (1-1) bounce back after dropping its season opener in three sets (23-25, 13-25, 19-25) to an experienced Buffalo squad Friday morning.
It appeared the Governors couldn’t shake off the effects of their season-opening loss to Buffalo, as Florida A&M (0-1) raced out to a 7-1 lead in the opening set of the nightcap. Austin Peay State University recovered to get back within three points at 8-5 and 9- but could not get any closer. The Rattlers used a 4-0 run to extend the lead back to 13-6 and held off APSU for the 25-18 win.
The APSU Govs turned to Deidesheimer as their lone change to the starting lineup in set two, and she promptly provided four kills. Three of those kills came in succession to start a 4-0 run that halted a FAMU run and gave APSU a 9-4 lead. Austin Peay State University did not allow Florida A&M to close that gap and ended the set with a 5-1 run to secure a 25-18 victory.
Deidesheimer broke out for six kills in the third set, but her sixth kill proved pivotal, helping the Govs level the set at 19-19 after seeing a 16-12 lead evaporate. The APSU Govs scored three straight points on Kalliann Cook’s serve, including one via a service ace, and closed the set with a Kelsey Mead ace for a 25-21 lead.
Florida A&M looked poised to force a fifth set after it halted a largely back-and-forth affair with a 5-0 run to build a 20-15 lead. The APSU Govs recovered and scored 10 of the final 11 points, including seven straight points to end the match and claim a 25-21 win. Maggie Keenan had three points, while Elizabeth Wheat and Mikayla Powell also had two kills in the final 10-1 run.
Deidesheimer led the Govs against FAMU with a career-best 14 kills and a .435 attack percentage. Wheat also had a career-best 13 kills in the victory. Keenan posted five blocks to finish the day with 11 blocks. Kalliann Cook’s starting debut as libero saw her score 11 digs and eight assists.
Brooke Lynn Watts led Florida A&M with an 18-kill performance
Earlier Friday, Austin Peay State University battled through a slow start in the season’s opening match, trailing 11-5 in the first set. The Govs rallied to tie the set 22-22 with a Payton Deidesheimer kill and a Bulls attack error capping a 12-7 run. Mikayla Powell would provide a kill to tie the set again at 23-23, but Austin Peay State University committed back-to-back errors in the 25-23 loss.
Buffalo (1-0) controlled the second set wire-to-wire en route to a 25-13 victory. Austin Peay State University changed its starting lineup before the third set, inserting Jamie Seward, Anna Rita, and Sarah Carnathan. However, Buffalo charged out to a 5-0 lead and never looked back for a match-clinching 25-19 victory.
Carnathan, who had three kills in the third set, was one of five Govs hitters to score five kills to pace a 25-kill performance. Maggie Keenan led Austin Peay State University’s defense with six blocks, while Cook chipped in a team-best seven digs.
Katrin Trebichavska paced Buffalo with a 10-kill, three-block performance.
Austin Peay State University closes out its season-opening weekend when it meets host UAB in a Saturday 3:00pm match that can be seen on ESPN+.
