Clarksville, TN – The Austin Peay State University (APSU) volleyball team closes out the road portion of its 2023 schedule with Atlantic Sun Conference matches at Lipscomb and North Florida this week.
The Governors and Bisons meet for a Wednesday 6:00pm match in Nashville to start the week’s action. Austin Peay then meets North Florida in a Saturday 5:00pm match in Jacksonville.
Austin Peay State University enters this week’s action three wins out of the upcoming ASUN Conference Tournament but has an opportunity to make the tournament field with four matches remaining.
After facing the second-place Bisons, Austin Peay State University will meet North Florida and North Alabama, two teams they are trying to catch. APSU then closes its schedule with a match against a Central Arkansas squad behind it in the standings.
While graduate outside hitter Mikayla Powell continues to lead the Govs with 3.63 kills per set in league play, a pair of sophomores and a freshman have made the most of their league action. Sophomore Jamie Seward has 54 kills (1.86 per set) while hitting .291 in ASUN action.
Sophomore Sarah Carnathan has provided 58 kills (1.87 per set). Freshman Anna Rita has been a pleasant surprise in the middle, entering the weekend second on the team with 38 blocks (1.03 per set) and 41 kills (1.11 per set) in ASUN action.
Through The Rotation
Austin Peay State University outside hitter Mikayla Powell recorded double-digit kills in 16 consecutive matches and had four 20-kill outings, September 1st-October 7th, but suffered an injury following the Govs match against Eastern Kentucky. She is day-to-day, missing five of the 20 sets played since that match.
Powell was the first ASUN hitter to record 200 kills this season but surrendered the ASUN lead in kills last week. Her 316 total kills remain second to the ASUN and ranks 45th among Division I hitters. Powell also is second with her 3.63 kills per set, which places her 59th among Division I hitters.
APSU’s Kelsey Mead shouldered most of the load at setter this season and enters this weekend with 690 assists, seventh most in the ASUN. In ASUN play, teams have keyed their attack at her and she’s held her own, leading the Govs with 100 digs (2.44 per set) in league action.
Freshman setter Maggie Duyos shared setting responsibilities with Mead during the season’s opening week, but an injury forced her out of the lineup. She returned to her original role at Stetson on October 14th, and has 71 assists (4.18 per set) since her return.
Middle blockers Maggie Keenan and Karli Graham are tied for the team lead with 66 blocks this season, each averaging 0.80 blocks per set. Anna Rita’s 0.95 blocks per set leads the team, and she has 54 blocks this season.
Austin Peay State University middle blocker Karli Graham has been impressive in ASUN play with 53 kills (1.29 per set) and a .325 attack percentage that is third in the league. She also ranks sixth in the league with 39 blocks (0.95 per set) blocks per set.
APSU sophomore right-side hitter Jamie Seward made the most of October, recording her season-best nine kills three times during the month. She finished the month with 48 kills (2.00 per set) and a .288 attack percentage.
In her first start since September 8th, sophomore outside hitter Payton Deidesheimer set her career high with 17 kills at Stetson on October 14th. It was her second double-digit kill outing in 2023, joining a 14-kill performance against Florida A&M during the opening weekend.
Senior defensive specialist Morgan Rutledge has worn the libero jersey for each of the past four matches, posting double-digit digs in each match. She has 76 digs (3.80 per set) in those six matches.
Inside The Series
Lipscomb
Series Record: Lipscomb leads, 12-4.
Current Streak: LU, 12 wins.
Earlier In ’23: Mikayla Powell led Austin Peay State University with 13 kills; however, the Governors fell to Lipscomb in four sets (25-19, 13-25, 19-25, 17-25), September 27th, in the Winfield Dunn Center.
Notably: The Govs and Bisons first met in 2033 with APSU winning the first four meetings in the series, the last of those wins coming during the 2005 season. However, Lipscomb has won the last 12 meetings between the teams, including 2023’s first meeting.
North Florida
Series Record: Series tied, 3-3.
Current Streak: Bellarmine, one win.
Last Meeting: North Florida upset Austin Peay State University in four sets (20-25, 25-22, 25-16, and 25-18), last season, snapping the Governors’ 15-match win streak inside the Winfield Dunn Center. Tegan Seyring notched a season-best 17 kills to lead APSU.
Notably: The Governors and Ospreys met for the first time last season with the Ospreys claiming that first-ever meeting.
