THE LEAD
CLARKSVILLE – Austin Peay State University's offense could not get on track in a three-set (23-25, 26-28, 17-25) Ohio Valley Conference loss to Belmont, Saturday, at the Dunn Center.

WHO GOVERNED
Sophomore Kelly Ferguson led the Lady Govs with nine points, recording six kills, two service aces and two block assists. It is the second consecutive match she has led or shared the team lead in scoring.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Austin Peay had opportunities late to win the first two sets. The Lady Govs led 23-22 in the opening set, but Belmont scored three-straight points to win the frame. Austin Peay had triple-set point in the second period, 24-21, but could not find the court as Belmont rallied with four straight points en route to a 28-26 victory.

Belmont gained control of the decisive third set early, building a five-point, 9-4 lead and holding on for the 25-17 victory.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Belmont's defense stymied the APSU offense as more than half of Austin Peay's attacks (121) were dug up by the Bruins defense. Belmont's 64 digs were a significant part of Austin Peay's .115 attack percentage on the day.

Special teams were the story again with the team's combining for 11 service aces and 18 blocks in the three-set contest. Belmont edged Austin Peay 6-5 in service aces but the Lady Govs held a 9.5-9 edge in blocks.

THE FULL RECAP
Austin Peay (6-17, 1-7 OVC) will look back at the first and second sets as missed opportunities. The Lady Govs rallied from a 22-17 deficit with six straight points on Aubrey Marsellis' serve to take a 23-22 lead. But APSU could not close the set and Belmont scored the final three points to win 25-23.

Belmont (9-10, 6-2 OVC) led the bulk of the second set, but Austin Peay charged late and was serving for set point at 24-21. The Bruins fended off three straight set points as they scored four consecutive points to reach its own set point, 25-24. The Lady Govs then turned aside three set points before yielding 28-26.

The Bruins took control of the third set with a 5-1 run to build a 9-4 lead. Austin Peay was not able to close the early gap and a late 3-0 Belmont run put the set away.

Senior Samantha Strother led Austin Peay with a seven-kill performance. Sophomore Kelly Ferguson added six kills, two service aces and two blocks. Austin Peay was held to 32 kills and a .115 attack percentage.

Person Arianna led Belmont with a 14-kill, 11-dig performance. Jocelyn Youngdahl chipped in 12 kills and six blocks. Belmont finished the match with 51 kills and a .244 attack percentage.

Austin Peay begins a five-match road trip with a 7 p.m., Friday OVC contest at Eastern Illinois.