CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. ? For a moment it looked like Austin Peay State University's volleyball team had found a way to finish a close game. However, the result remained the same as the Lady Govs dropped a 3-1 (28-30, 39-37, 21-30, 25-30) Ohio Valley Conference decision to Samford, Tuesday night.
Austin Peay dropped its seventh straight match and fell to 7-17 overall and 2-10 in league play. Samford improved to 10-10 overall and 5-6 in conference action.
In the match's opening game, Austin Peay raced out to a 9-3 lead. Samford would take advantage of Austin Peay miscues to level the game, 14-14, and take a 16-14 lead. The game would see its ninth and final tie at 27-27 before an APSU attack error and a Kristen Sosnowski kill gave Samford a 29-27 lead and the two teams traded side outs to settle on the final 30-28 margin.
Game two was an impressive display as the two teams battled through 22 ties and six lead changes while playing well into overtime. After a 27-27 tie, Austin Peay got consecutive kills from senior Dodi Szymska to get its first game-point opportunity. However, back-to-back Austin Peay errors leveled the match and an Angela Dempski kill gave Samford its first game point. Ultimately, Austin Peay would have nine game point chances while Samford had seven opportunities. Szymska closed the game with back-to-back kills to secure the 39-37 victory. Szymska finished the game with 11 kills and freshman Maegan Squibb added seven kills. Samford's Samantha Bland and Angela Dempski each had seven kills.
Austin Peay was unable to carry that momentum through the break and quickly fell behind 7-1 in game three. Samford would stretch its lead to 22-11 before APSU was able to mount a comeback. The Lady Govs made their visitors particularly nervous with five consecutive points to cut the lead to 24-18. However, the Bulldogs righted the ship in time to close the game with a 30-21 advantage.
Game four looked promising for Austin Peay early as they matched Samford point-for-point, including a 9-9 tie. But a 7-2 run gave the Bulldogs a 16-12 lead which the Lady Govs would have to chip away at the rest of the way. APSU would get within two points, 27-25, but could get no closer as attack errors doomed the comeback effort as Samford closed out the match with a 30-25 victory.
“We've talked about how we have to hit our shots when the pressure is on and lately we have gone missing in the clutch,” said Lady Govs head coach Jenny Hazelwood. “Our team has to find a way of trusting one another. It's tough and frustrating and our girls have to get our confidence back. They know they can win and a true champion plays their best when the going gets tough. We might not have won the last few matches but we know we can win and I told the girls that tomorrow we will come back to practice and work.”
Squibb finished with a career-high 20 kills while Szymska led the Lady Govs with 21 kills. Senior Kristen Kirch recorded a match-high 37 digs and surpassed the 2,000 career dig mark, the first Lady Govs player to do so.
Dempski led all hitters with 23 kills and Bland added 16 kills. The Bulldogs posted 15 blocks against the Lady Govs, Sheridan Stangohr leading the way with eight blocks. Samford also led Austin Peay in kills (81-69), service aces (8-5) and digs (115-107).
Austin Peay continues its four-match homestand when it hosts Morehead State in a 7 p.m., Friday contest.
NOTE: The 39-37 second game tied for the most points scored by the Lady Govs in a single-game and for the most points scored by APSU and an opponent in a game.
- AP -
