UPDATE: Tuesday's Austin Peay-Morehead State contest will be available on OVCSports.TV.
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. ? An unlikely matchup of 2-0 teams will take place when Austin Peay State University's volleyball team finishes its 10-match road trip with a 6 p.m. (CT), Tuesday, Ohio Valley Conference contest at Morehead State.
Both the Lady Govs and Eagles enter Tuesday's contest with unblemished 2-0 league marks. It's where Morehead State is expected to be after being selected the conference's preseason favorite to win the league race. Meanwhile, Austin Peay is an early surprise after posting just three league wins last season and being picked ninth in the preseason poll.
Both teams are ranked among the top two in all but one of the league's seven statistical categories. The Lady Govs lead the league in attack percentage (.228) and service aces (1.90 per set), but are ninth in blocks (1.12 per set). Meanwhile, the Eagles lead the league in kills (13.43 per set), opponent hitting percentage (.142), assists (12.48 per set) and blocks (2.00 per set) but are third in digs (13.45 per set).
Austin Peay opened its conference slate with a five-set win at Tennessee Tech and a four-set victory at Jacksonville State, last weekend. It is the first time since 1999 the Lady Govs have won their first two conference matches. Junior transfer Stephanie Champine and sophomore Jessica Mollman are both ranked among the league's top 10 in kills per set. Champine is ranked second with 3.43 kills per set while Mollman is eighth with 3.06 kills per set.
“I felt like we played efficiently this last weekend; we didn't make a whole lot of errors,” said Lady Govs head coach Jenny Hazelwood. “In those stretches that we gave up a run of points and even the sets we lost it was us giving up points because of errors. If we can minimize that as we did in a lot of sets this weekend, then we can be successful in the long term.”
Morehead State posted three-set sweeps at both Eastern Illinois and Southeast Missouri to get its league schedule underway. The Eagles also have two hitters ranked among the league's top 10 ? senior Ashley Doscher (3.23 kps) is ranked sixth and is followed by sophomore Kaitlin Craven (3.18 kps) in seventh.
“This is a tough stretch with the past weekend and then traveling to Morehead but I believe there is a lot of excitement coming off of this weekend and I think our girls are going to be ready for more,” said Hazelwood. “I don't think we're going to settle for ?okay we've done well' but we're going to keep pushing. I think it will be a good matchup, Morehead (State) is a good team and we know we have to show up and play hard.”
- AP -
