CLARKSVILLE - Austin Peay State University women's volleyball team will close out its five-match homestand when it hosts UT Martin in a 6 p.m., Friday, Ohio Valley Conference contest at the Dunn Center.

Austin Peay (6-15, 4-6 OVC) has won three of the first four matches during the homestand, including back-to-back sweeps of Murray State, Saturday, and Tennessee State, Tuesday. The Lady Govs, who have won four of their last five outings, have moved into a tie for seventh-place and are only one-half match behind Murray State (4-5 OVC) for sixth-place in the league standings at the OVC race's halfway mark.

The Lady Govs offense has hit its stride during the last five matches, averaging 14.2 kills per set against a season average of 12.7 kills per set. Austin Peay also has elevated things at the service line, averaging 1.53 service aces per set after spending the majority of the season ranked near the bottom nationally in that same category with 0.92 service aces per set.

Individually, junior outside hitter Nikki Doyle has led the team during the climb up the standings with 68 kills in the recent five matches while posting a .230 attack percentage. However, she has been joined on offense by the other four regulars in the rotation, who are each averaging more than two kills per set.

"We have played much more balanced during this stretch," said Lady Govs head coach Bill Egbert. "We had to make some changes to our lineup for different reasons and the lineup we're using now has come together and played well. I've seen improvement in all aspects of our game."

UT Martin (12-7, 7-2 OVC) sits second in the OVC race, two matches behind league-leading Morehead State (9-0 OVC). The Skyhawks ended a five-match homestand unbeaten to jump up to the league's second spot. UT Martin visits the Dunn Center after posting a come-from-behind victory against Jacksonville State, Monday, rallying from two sets down to win in five sets.

Senior middle blocker Ashley Doherty leads the Skyhawks offense with 3.19 kills per set and a .279 attack percentage, ranking sixth among conference hitters in both categories. However, it is junior libero Kasey Elswick who has been the team's star, ranking second nationally with an impressive 6.59 digs per set, helping the Skyhawks limit opponents to a paltry .162 attack percentage.

"UT Martin will be a tough test Friday," said Egbert. "They are a very good defensive squad and Elswick has been almost unbeatable. We will need to step up our effort against a quality team if we want to end this homestand on a positive note."

- AP -