CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. ? Despite two of its players serving suspensions, Austin Peay State University finds itself among a three-team tie atop the Ohio Valley Conference standings after downing Jacksonville State, 3-0 (25-19, 27-25, 31-29), Friday night at the Dunn Center.

Austin Peay moved into a tie for first place with Morehead State, which lost at home to Southeast Missouri, and Tennessee Tech, which won at Tennessee State. The Lady Govs won their sixth-straight match and improved to 17-6 overall and 9-2 in conference play. Jacksonville State fell to 6-16 overall and 2-9 in league action after dropping its sixth-straight match.

The Lady Govs played the match without its starting setter and a key reserve. Sophomore setter Sarah Alisaleh and freshman Ilyanna Hernandez each were suspended one match for missing a team curfew. With Alisaleh out, freshman setter Marie Mullins made her first collegiate start and recorded a season-high 38 assists and set Austin Peay's offense to a .292 attack percentage.

“We didn't really change our game plan, but it was unfortunate that we didn't have Sarah out there,” said Lady Govs head coach Jenny Hazelwood. “We were playing with a young lineup tonight, so we needed people to step up and do their part, which they were able to do and that made us a better team tonight.”

Jacksonville State jumped out to the early lead in the opening set and held a three-point, 11-8, advantage. Sophomore Jessica Mollman posted a pair of kills and Jacksonville State's offense added a couple of attack errors as part of five straight Austin Peay points for a 13-11 advantage. JSU would battle back to tie the score, 13-13, but APSU scored three straight points to maintain its lead and would not trail again en route to a 25-19 victory.

The second set was a close battle with 13 ties and five lead changes. Jacksonville State reached set point first, 24-23, after a Brittney Whitten kill. However, sophomore Taylor Skinner posted back-to-back kills to turn the tables, giving Austin Peay its first set point, 25-24. Whitten would post a kill to turn aside that set point, but consecutive kills from junior Kirstin Distler and junior transfer Stephanie Champine ended the set, 27-25.

And yet the third set was even more closely fought with 19 ties and six lead changes. Austin Peay reached match point first, 24-23, but Jacksonville State did not give up, turning aside that opportunity. The Lady Govs would have match point chances at 26-25, 27-26 and 28-27 only to be denied by Jacksonville State kills. A Brooke Schumacher kill gave Jacksonville State its first set point opportunity at 28-29, but Mollman posted a kill to turn it aside. Skinner gave APSU its fifth match point which it converted courtesy a JSU ball handling error.

“I am proud of the way we played tonight,” said Hazelwood. “We knew we had to come out and play hard tonight and stay focused, and they did a good job of that. We have a mix of players going in and playing and they were able to play well. When the whole team is playing well, it makes it much easier for us to take care of business.”

Mollman led Austin Peay with 17 kills, including eight in the decisive third set. Skinner added 12 kills and an impressive .476 attack percentage. Champine added 11 kills.

Whitten led the Gamecocks with a match high 21 kills. Vorbeck chipped in 15 kills.

Jacksonville State led in nearly every category, winning the offensive battle with 54 kills, posting a 4-3 edge in service aces and managing a 3-3 tie in blocks. However, the Gamecocks were their own worst enemy in the tightly-contested match, committing 25 attack errors, five service errors, five block errors and a ball handling error to doom their chances for a surprise victory.

Austin Peay hosts a battle of first-place teams, 2 p.m., Saturday, when league co-leader Tennessee Tech visits the Dunn Center.