Clarksville, TN – The Austin Peay State University (APSU) volleyball team defeated Tennessee State, 3-0 (25-23, 25-13, 25-17), Wednesday at the Winfield Dunn Center.
After Tennessee State built a 5-2 lead behind three Austin Peay State University attack errors, the Governors rallied to tie the set at 9 on kills by Nicole Okojie and Taly Cloyd. Cloyd and Malena Benz then teamed up for a block to give APSU a 10-9 lead.
The set remained close, with the teams tied at 15 before Tennessee State answered to make it 18-18. With the score tied at 19, the Governors scored four straight points, highlighted by an Okojie kill and three Tigers attack errors, to take a 23-19 advantage. Benz’s kill gave APSU set point at 24-21. Tennessee State pulled within one, but Cloyd closed out the set with a kill from Brooklynn Merrell for a 25-23 win.
APSU carried its momentum into the second set, using a 7-0 run to turn a 3-2 lead into a 10-2 advantage. Reagan Anderson served two aces during the run, which also featured kills by Benz and Remmi Cooke. Tennessee State cut the deficit to 16-9, but the Governors answered by winning seven of the next eight rallies. Anderson added another ace, while Benz recorded a kill before Kaelynn Ashley delivered two late kills, including the set-clinching point, to give APSU a 25-13 win.
Tennessee State answered APSU’s 2-0 start in the third set by tying the score at two, but Cooke and Sianna Dykes recorded kills during a four-point Governors run that put APSU ahead 6-2. The Tigers later cut the deficit to 17-13 with consecutive kills.
After the teams traded points, Ashley’s kill, Gianna Tagoa’i’s ace and another Cooke kill pushed the Governors’ lead to 21-14. Cloyd and Hollier closed out the match with kills from Tagoa’i, securing the 25-17 set victory and 3-0 sweep.
Box Score Bullets
- Reagan Anderson recorded four service aces, matching her season high set against Kansas City, Aug. 29.
- Brooklynn Merrell led the Governors with 18 assists, marking her seventh match leading APSU in assists this season.
- Austin Peay State University hit .270 with 39 kills while holding Tennessee State to a .056 hitting percentage and 24 kills.
Next Up For APSU Volleyball
The Austin Peay State University volleyball team hosts the Governor’s Classic at the Winfield Dunn Center, opening Friday, September 18th against Gardner-Webb at 1:00pm and SIU Edwardsville at 7:00pm before facing Southern Illinois Saturday at 2:00pm in Clarksville.
