THE LEAD
CLARKSVILLE – Austin Peay State University's volleyball team could not overcome an error-prone outing in a three-set Ohio Valley Conference loss (19-25, 14-25, 19-25) to regular-season champion Murray State, Wednesday night at the Dunn Center.
WHO GOVERNED
Aubrey Marsellis finished with four kills (.286 attack percentage), 18 assists, nine digs and two blocks in a stat sheet-filling night for Austin Peay. Â
HOW IT HAPPENED
Murray State took control of the first set with a 5-0 run and carried that lead to a win. The Racers then used that momentum to claim the second set in wire-to-wire fashion.
Austin Peay rallied to tie the third set, 13-13, but a 5-0 Murray State run turned the tide as it went on to claim the OVC regular-season crown with a 25-19 win.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Unforced errors ruled the night for Austin Peay with 14 attack errors, two service errors and four block errors. Murray State the forced several APSU errors with nine blocks and five service aces.
Kelly Ferguson had five kills, a .176 attack percentage and two blocks to follow Marsellis' effort.
THE FULL RECAP
Austin Peay (9-22, 3-12 OVC) could stay step-for-step with Murray State in the early stages of each set. However, a Racers run in each frame determined the outcome.
After five ties and three lead changes in the opening 10 points of the first set, the Racers and Lady Govs were tied 5-5. But Murray State won the next five points, including kills by Scottie Ingram and Kristen Besselsen to build a 10-5 advantage. The Lady Govs would get within two as part of a 3-0 run, but got no closer in a 25-19 loss.
Murray State (24-2, 14-1 OVC) opened broke open the second set with a 11-3 run that built a 16-4 advantage and didn't look back. Austin Peay did string together four straight points and a 6-1 run to get back within seven points, 17-10, but could not close the gap.
The Racers threatened to run away with the third set, opening with a 4-1 run as Besselsen recorded three straight kills. But a 9-4 APSU run was sparked by three blocks and two Aubrey Marsellis kills to tie the set 12-12. Murray State stopped the threat with a 6-2 burst and went on to claim the match with a 25-19 victory.
Marsellis finished with four kills, 18 assists, nine digs and two blocks to pace Austin Peay. Â Samantha Strother added a team-best seven kills. The Lady Govs were held to 29 kills and a .050 attack percentage.
Alyssa Lelm led Murray State with a 13-kill, .600 attack percentage performance. Kristen Besselsen added 11 kills and five blocks. The Racers finished with 44 kills and a .213 attack percentage.
Austin Peay will conclude the 2015 season with a 2 p.m., Saturday contest against Eastern Kentucky.
