MURRAY, Ky. - Austin Peay State University's volleyball
team won the opening set but could not hold on, dropping a 3-1 decision (15-25,
25-21, 25-16, 27-25) in an Ohio Valley Conference contest to Murray State,
Friday night, at Racer Arena.
Austin Peay (13-6, 7-2 OVC) grabbed the first set with a
dominant offensive performance, recording 18 kills and a .457 attack
percentage. The Lady Govs broke open the match with a 9-1 run to turn a 7-7 tie
into a 16-8 lead they would not relinquish. Senior outside hitter Stephanie Champine had seven kills in the opening set, posting no errors for a .583
attack percentage.
Murray State (4-15, 4-5 OVC) entered the match with all
three of its victories coming at Racer Arena and promptly fought back in the
second set. The Lady Govs led only briefly at 8-7 before the Racers scored
consecutive points to regain a one-point advantage. There the lead would remain
until Austin Peay committed four straight errors as part of a 5-0 run that
pushed the Murray State lead to six points, 21-16, and they would not look
back, winning the set, 25-21.
The Lady Govs third set offensive performance was largely
forgettable as they committed seven attack errors while scoring only six errors (-0.029 attack
percentage). Murray State's offense continued to cruise, posting 13 kills and a
.188 attack percentage. The Lady Racers closed the set with a 9-4 run to win
25-16.
The fourth set featured big runs by both teams. Austin
Peay opened the set with a 9-4 run to force a Murray State timeout. The Racers
roared back after the time out, tying the set with a 7-2 run that was a part of
a larger 13-5 run that gave them a 17-14 advantage. The Lady Govs chipped away
at that lead and forced a tie at 23-23. The two teams traded the next four
points, settling on a 25-25 tie, before Murray State won the final two points
to win the set, 27-25.
"This is a team that needs to realize other teams won't
just roll over when we get a lead," said Lady Govs head coach Mike Johnson. "Simply,
we tried to coast after capturing the first set and got stung. Jessica Mollman
played an inspired match from start to finish and I applaud her for it."
Champine led the Lady Govs with 16 kills. Junior middle
blocker Jessica Mollman was steady throughout the match, finishing with 11
kills and a team-best .409 attack percentage. However, those two combined for
27 of the Lady Govs 46 kills as they were held to a .172 attack percentage.
Logan Su and Becca Lamb each had 15 kills to pace Murray
State's 54-kill attack. The Racers also won both ends of the defensive battle, posting
a 68-63 advantage in digs and a 7-6 edge in blocks.
Austin Peay continues its weekend road trip with a 2 p.m.,
Saturday, contest at Tennessee Martin.
- AP -
