CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - Senior outside hitter Stephanie Champine posted a season-best 21 kills but Austin Peay State University's volleyball team dropped a 3-2 (25-23, 25-17, 17-25, 27-29, 15-13) decision to Loyola (Ill.), Saturday morning, at the Country Inn and Suites Challenge hosted by Chattanooga.

Champine's performance included five kills in each of the match's last three sets as Austin Peay (5-4) battled back from an early two-set deficit. In addition, she posted a team-best 25 digs. Champine finished with more than one-third of the Lady Govs 62 kills and finished the match with a .219 attack percentage. It was her fifth straight double-digit kill performance.

Austin Peay may look back at the first set of Saturday's first match as the one that got away. The Lady Govs led by four points, 20-16, and seemed to have the set in hand. But Loyola stormed back with five of the next six points to tie the set, 21-21. The Ramblers grabbed the lead moments later with two straight points and scored the set's final two points to secure the 25-23 victory.

The Lady Govs also controlled the second set early, leading by three points at 7-4. But a 14-4 scoring run gave the Ramblers an 18-11 lead they would not relinquish and went into the break up 2-0.

The third set saw Austin Peay grab an early 8-6 lead but this time they did not relinquish the advantage. Seven consecutive points jump started a 13-4 scoring run to give the Lady Govs a 21-11 edge they held on to.

Austin Peay found leveling the match to be a difficult proposition in the fourth set as they battled through 13 ties and seven lead changes. The set went into overtime where the Lady Govs fended off a match point at 26-25 and scored consecutive points to force a set point at 27-26. They would have to wait for back-to-back Loyola errors to grab the 29-27 victory and force a decisive fifth set.

The fifth set was merely a continuation of the hard-fought fourth set as the two squads fought through five ties and three lead changes in the shortened set. The Lady Govs led 13-12 but three straight Katie Johnson kills gave the Ramblers the match.

Champine's performance was the match's highlight, but did not overshadow double-digit kill performances by sophomore Ilyanna Hernandez (12 kills) and junior middle blocker Jessica Mollman (10 kills). It was Mollman's first double-digit kill effort this season.

Johnson led Loyola with 21 kills and a .250 attack percentage. The Ramblers also had 62 kills but gained the edge with nine service aces and 11 blocks - the Lady Govs had just four aces and eight blocks.

Austin Peay concludes its stay in Chattanooga with a 1:30 p.m. (CDT) contest against SIU Edwardsville.

- AP -