CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. ? Austin Peay State University's volleyball team could not keep its weekend momentum going into the new week, falling 3-0 (30-23, 30-24, 30-27) at Belmont, Tuesday night.

Belmont (2-1) jumped out to a double-digit, 19-9 lead in game one of the match. After falling into the large deficit, Austin Peay could only get as close as six points, 29-23, late in the match, but it was too little too late as Belmont finished the game with a kill, sealing the 30-23 win.

Austin Peay (3-2) did a better job of sticking with its host in game two, forcing five ties and two lead changes in the early going. However, after getting back to within one point, 14-13, near the game's midpoint, the Bruins scored 12 of the next 19 points to build a 26-20 advantage and force an APSU timeout. The timeout did not have the desired effect as the two teams traded points down the stretch before settling at 30-24.

Game three was a much tighter affair throughout as the two squads battled to nine ties and one lead change. With the score tied 18-18, Belmont seemed to take charge with a 7-1 run to lead 25-19. However, the Lady Govs responded with a 7-2 run of their own to close within one point, 27-26. Again, it was too little too late as Belmont got three much-needed kills down the stretch ? two by Cat Mundy ? to close out the match.

Senior Dodi Szymska posted a match-high 15 kills in the losing effort while sophomore Kirstin Distler chipped in 10 kills. Defensively, the Lady Govs lost their first back-row battle by a 47-43 margin in digs and continued to have problems at the net losing the blocking battle, 5-4.

Four Belmont players posted double-digit kill efforts, Mundy leading the way with 14 kills. The Bruins posted 55 kills in the brief match and recorded a .311 attack percentage.

“You have to give Belmont credit,” said Lady Govs head coach Jenny Hazelwood. “They came out ready to play in front of their home crowd and we didn't come ready to match their intensity. It's tough to go out and have the kind of night we had, but hopefully we can learn from this as we get ready for a tough tournament this weekend.”

Austin Peay continues its season-opening road trip at the Kentucky Classic, Friday and Saturday. The Lady Govs will meet Cleveland State, Georgetown and host Kentucky in the tournament. 
 
- AP -