THE LEAD
CLARKSVILLE – Junior Sammie Ebright posted a double-double as Austin Peay State University's volleyball team gave its three seniors a win in their final match, downing Eastern Kentucky in three sets (26-24, 25-17, 25-15) in a Saturday Ohio Valley Conference match.
WHO GOVERNED
Seniors Aubrey Marsellis, Samantha Strother and April Adams each made significant contributions in their final match in a Lady Govs uniform. Marsellis had a 40-assist, 12-dig double-double. Strother had nine kills, nine digs and two service aces. Adams led the Lady Govs with 18 digs.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Austin Peay had to come back from a three-point, 18-15, deficit in the first set. The Lady Govs used four straight points on Ebright's serve to take a 19-18 lead. After the team's traded points Austin Peay had the first set point opportunity at 24-23, but needed an Ebright kill on its second chance to win the set.
The Lady Govs broke open a 9-9 tie in the second set with a 9-0 run and never looked back. After the break it was a 6-1 run to open the third set and APSU led by as many as 10 points en route to the sweep.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Austin Peay put forth its cleanest offensive effort since the season's second week, recording only nine attack errors while posting a season-best .323 team attack percentage. The Lady Govs 51 kills were its most in a three-set match this season.
Freshman Kaylee Taff started the match and finished with 11 kills and a .450 attack percentage.
Sophomore Kelly Ferguson added 7 kills and had a service ace and block assist in the contest.
The three-set win was only Austin Peay fourth sweep this season, it improved to 4-12 in three-set matches this season.
Austin Peay finished the season with wins in four of its last five matches.
THE FULL RECAP
In its final match of 2015, Austin Peay (10-22, 4-12 OVC) got out to a quick start offensively. The Lady Govs recorded an impressive 22 kills in the 26-24 victory, finishing with a .346 attack percentage for the set. APSU rallied from an 18-15 deficit thanks to four straight kills, three by senior Samantha Strother. The Lady Govs got to set point first, but needed an Ebright kill to end the set on their second opportunity.
The Lady Govs and Eastern Kentucky battled through seven lead changes and two ties in the second set's opening 18 points, leading to a 9-9 tie. Austin Peay broke the tie with nine-straight points, which included two kills and a block by freshman Kaylee Taff. With the 18-9 lead, Austin Peay did not look back and won the set 25-17.
A 6-1 start to the third set put Austin Peay in a good position for the sweep. The Lady Govs pushed the lead to 10 points, 15-5, and fended off a small Eastern Kentucky charge. Three straight APSU points ended the match with APSU winning the set 25-15.
Ebright led Austin Peay with a 15-kill, 17-dig double-double performance, posting a .424 attack percentage. Taff added 11 kills and a .450 attack percentage.
Seniors Aubrey Marsellis, Samantha Strother and April Adams each made significant contributions in their final Austin Peay match. Marsellis had a 40-assist, 12-dig double-double. Strother had nine kills, nine digs and two service aces. Adams led the Lady Govs with 18 digs.
Eastern Kentucky was held to 37 kills and a .121 attack percentage with no player reaching double-digit kill territory, three players recording eight kills to lead the EKU effort.
