CLARKSVILLE – Austin Peay State University's volleyball team hits the midpoint of its Ohio Valley Conference slate when it begins a two-week crossover set with Eastern Illinois and SIU Edwardsville. The Lady Govs travel to Eastern Illinois for a 7 p.m., Friday contest before facing SIUE in a 2 p.m., Saturday affair. The teams will turn around and face each other again the following weekend in Clarksville.
Austin Peay (8-14, 5-1 OVC West) posted a 4-0 mark in its home OVC matches the past two weekends and finds itself atop the West Division nearing the halfway point. The Lady Govs return to the road seeking to improve on their 1-6 road mark this season, the lone win coming at Tennessee Tech, Sept. 28.
“I believe it is imperative to win road games when the opportunity arises,” said Lady Govs head coach Taylor Mott. “If we get ahead in a match on the road we have to be able to finish it off. To stay on top of the conference standings we will have to win on the road.”
The Lady Govs hot OVC start can be attributed to an improving defensive effort. Austin Peay is averaging 2.40 blocks per set (2nd in the OVC) and 17.46 digs per set (3rd) during conference play. For comparison, APSU is averaging 1.50 blocks per set (8th in OVC) in all matches this season and only 14.69 digs per set (8th).
“I feel like we've spent more time on defense than anything else the past month,” said Mott. “Although that is a lot of time spent, I believe the results are starting to show in our matches. We still have a long ways to go because we're committing too many errors at the net, but we are making strides forward each time out.”
Austin Peay's block party is led by senior middle blocker Lauren Henderson who ranks second among OVC blockers with 1.20 blockers per set in league action. Sophomore setter Aubrey Marsellis climbed into the league's top 10 with an impressive 11-block effort in last weekend's matches and ranks eighth in the OVC with 0.86 blocks per set.
“Lauren got off to a slow start but has imposed her will during conference play,” said Mott. “She is a big part of what we do at the net, both offensive and defensively. Aubrey had a good weekend in her first two starts for us, but now she has to back that up as teams will be aware of her. Although those two have stood out, everyone at the net has done a good job getting us to the top of the conference in blocking.”
Three Questions with sophomore setter Aubrey Marsellis:
Scouting the opposition:
Eastern Illinois (9-10, 3-3 OVC West) returns home after dropping a pair of OVC matches last weekend. The Panthers pushed league-leading Morehead State to five sets before yielding and then dropped a three-set match at Eastern Kentucky. Eastern Illinois is unbeaten in two tries at Lantz Arena this season, defeating SIUE and Tennessee State earlier this month.
EIU leads all OVC teams with 14.42 kills per set and it ranks second among OVC teams in attack percentage (.222) during league play. The Panthers hold a slight edge against Austin Peay (.221 attack percentage, 14.25 kills per set) in both categories. Senior Reynae Hutchinson leads the effort with a league-leading 3.92 kills per set in league action.
SIU Edwardsville (7-12, 3-3 OVC West) returns home after splitting its two OVC road matches last weekend. The Cougars won a five-set affair at Eastern Kentucky before falling at Morehead State in four sets. SIUE has won five of its last eight outings, including a 3-0 mark at the Vandalabene Center.
The Cougars boast the league's best defense with 17.92 digs per set in conference play that has helped them limit opponents to a .180 attack percentage (5th in the OVC). Offensively, senior Cori Harris leads SIUE and ranks second among OVC hitters with 3.80 kills per set and accounts for nearly a third of the team's offense. Defensively, junior Chelsea Colclasure has posted a league-leading 5.48 digs per set.
Last season's meetings and series history:
Austin Peay and Eastern Illinois split last season's series with the home team winning each affair. The Lady Govs won in three sets in Clarksville but dropped a five-set affair in Charleston. The series stands tied at 17-17 with Eastern Illinois holding a 10-6 edge in matches played at Lantz Arena.
Austin Peay won both regular-season matches with SIUE last season, posting a three-game sweep at home before eking out a five-set win in Edwardsville. Austin Peay leads the all-time series 6-3 but the two teams have split their four all-time OVC matches.
On the Web:
Both matches this weekend will be available on the OVC Digital Sports Network, the OVC's free nationwide ipTV service. In addition, live statistics for each match can be seen by visiting the respective host's website.
Upcoming Schedule Change:
Looking ahead, Austin Peay's athletics department has announced a time change for the Lady Govs Nov. 1 match against Belmont. Previously slated to begin at 7 p.m., the match will now start at 6 p.m. to accommodate another athletics event scheduled that day.
