CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - Senior outside hitter Stephanie Champine recorded her eighth consecutive double-digit kill performance to lead Austin Peay State University's volleyball team to a 3-0 (25-16, 25-23, 25-23) Ohio Valley Conference victory at Southeast Missouri, Friday night, at Houck Field House.

Austin Peay (8-4, 2-0 OVC) had its hands full in each of the three sets, using long rallies to gain the lead and win each set. The opening set was tied, 10-10, before the Lady Govs scored 15 of the final 21 points to run away with the set.

The second set saw Southeast Missouri (5-8, 2-2) take a 12-9 lead before a 6-2 scoring run gave Austin Peay its first lead, 15-14. The Lady Govs never enjoyed more than a two-point advantage the rest of the way and needed consecutive kills - by junior middle blocker Jessica Mollman and sophomore outside hitter Ilyanna Hernandez - to secure the win.

The third set saw the two squads exchange the lead four times and record 11 ties. Austin Peay enjoyed a four-point lead at 5-1, but a 6-2 Southeast Missouri burst tied the set, 11-11. From there, neither team gained more than a three-point cushion the rest of the way. A Champine kill gave APSU its first match point, 24-22, which SEMO fended off with a kill by Karleigh Delong. But the reprieve lasted until the ensuing serve when a Hernandez kill sealed the match.

"The score didn't really do this match justice," said Lady Govs head coach Mike Johnson. "It was a tense, hard fought battle. I give Southeast Missouri and its coaching staff tremendous credit for their preparation. (Junior setter) Sarah Alisaleh had her best match this season. She was tremendous tonight and we sure needed her."

Champine finished with 16 kills, her eighth straight match recording more than 10 kills, and added 15 digs for her season's sixth double-double. Mollman recorded 11 kills for the second consecutive match. Alisaleh recorded 42 assists, a season-best 14 digs and two service aces.

Austin Peay posted 48 kills and a .221 attack percentage in the victory. In a battle of the league's top two back-row defenses, the Lady Govs prevailed by a narrow, 81-78, margin.

Delong led the Redhawks with 13 kills, more than a third of the team's 34-kill output. Southeast Missouri became the fifth consecutive APSU opponent that failed to reach a .200 attack percentage, finishing with a .122 mark.

Austin Peay closes out its brief two-match conference road trip with a 2 p.m., Saturday, contest at Eastern Illinois. The Panthers fell to 7-9 overall and 1-3 in league action after dropping a 3-1 decision to Tennessee State, Saturday.