Melissa Gailey played just two seasons with Austin Peay volleyball program, but her impact was everlasting.
Gailey arrived in 1991 and led APSU to its first Ohio Valley Conference volleyball tourney championship, becoming the first non-Kentucky team to win the crown and only the second Lady Govs program to win an OVC crown. A year later the Lady Govs won the program’s first regular-season title. Both titles were captured with Gailey serving as hitter/setter in the 6-2 offense. Â
Her versatility proved to be a terrific asset to a veteran and talented team. Basically, she did what was necessary for the Lady Govs to be successful, whether it was setting, hitting, digging, passing or serving—Gailey still owns the APSU single-season mark for service aces (101) in 1991.
Gailey came to APSU after switching positions in junior college—she led her high school team, Miami Sunset, to back-to-back state championships as an outside hitter. But at Miami Dade (Junior) College, the 5-8 hitter was shifted to setter and she adapted deftly. She was part of a national junior college championship team as a freshman.
She and her junior college teammate Isabel Canedo elected to come together to Austin Peay and, although not a package deal, they helped lead the APSU volleyball program to unchartered waters.
The 1991 team adjusted to the newcomer pair as the season progressed and continued to improve. The final regular-season standings showed the Lady Govs tying for third and entering the OVC tournament as the No. 4 seed. Gailey was selected second-team All-OVC.
But APSU was a dangerous No. 4 seed and it proved to be just that in its three days in Cookeville. The Lady Govs rolled past Murray State in the first round and then defeated OVC regular-season co-champion Southeast Missouri, 3-1, in the semifinals. Then in the finals they made quick work of Morehead State, sweeping the Lady Eagles in three sets.Â
Not only was it just the second women’s sports OVC title in Austin Peay history while becoming the first non-Kentucky team to claim the volleyball crown, the Lady Govs won 20 matches (22-11) for the first time in Cheryl Holt’s illustrious career.
As a result, APSU had a large target on its back in 1992 and the team responded like champions it was. For the first time in APSU history, the Lady Govs put together back-to-back 20-win seasons. The 28 victories, the most in program history until broken in 2017, included a 15-1 OVC record. That impressive mark saw the Governors roll off a 12-match winning streak. Gailey earned first-team All-OVC and OVC all-tourney as the Govs lost in the OVC finals.
Holt thought so much of Gailey, her intelligence in understanding the technical and tactical aspects of the game, she hired her as the program’s first fulltime assistant. Gailey met her future husband, academic advisor Joe Luckey, while at Austin Peay.
Yes, it proved to be a win-win situation for Gailey Luckey and Austin Peay.
