THREE THINGS TO KNOW
Slay Busts Out: Sophomore middle blocker/right side Ashley Slay broke out in last week's action, leading Austin Peay in kills in all four matches. Named the adidas®/OVC Offensive Player of the Week, Tuesday, she finished the week with 48 kills (3.69 per set) and 12 blocks (0.92 per set). Slay is eighth among OVC hitters with 2.96 kills per set after nearly two full weeks.
Road Trip Continues: Tuesday's contest is the middle match in Austin Peay's current seven-match road trip. The Lady Govs opened the trip with back-to-back three-set wins at the Blazer Invitational before falling to host UAB. Following Tuesday's game APSU travels to Chattanooga for matches against Gardner-Webb, UAB and Chattanooga.
Gable Coming Along: Freshman Cecily Gable took a big step forward in last week's four matches. She began the week with a career-best 14 kills against Evansville and finished the four-match stretch with 30 kills (2.14 per set) – second most on the team behind Slay.
THE FULL STORY
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – Austin Peay State University's volleyball team continues its seven-match road trip when it meets Western Kentucky in a 7 p.m., Tuesday contest at E.A. Diddle Arena.
Austin Peay (2-5) began the road trip with a splash, picking up back-to-back wins against Savannah State and Florida International to start the Blazer Invitational. The Lady Govs closed that tournament with a disappointing three-set loss to host UAB.
Lady Govs head coach Taylor Mott still was pleased with the performance of her reconfigured lineup. Mott unveiled the lineup against Savannah State, with the biggest move seeing freshman setter Kristen Stucker move into the rotation while redshirt junior outside hitter Sammie Ebright moved into a pivotal reserve role.
"Sammie and Peyton (Walker) were huge off the bench for us last weekend," said Mott. "They didn't do a lot on the scoresheet, but their energy and enthusiasm off the bench was exactly what we needed. Moving Kristen into the starting lineup also gave us a lot of flexibility, particularly with Aubrey (Marsellis) moving into more of an offensive role, particularly as a blocker."
Despite the changes, sophomore middle blocker/right side Ashley Slay continued to lead the offense. Her 30 kills at the Blazer Invitational came with just three errors for a .519 attack percentage. Slay posted back-to-back errorless attack outings in the wins against Savannah State and Florida International.
Tuesday's match will be the Lady Govs' third straight match against a Conference USA opponent. Austin Peay defeated FIU and lost to UAB in Saturday's action at the Blazer Invitational. The Lady Govs will have two more matches against CUSA foes as they face UAB again this weekend before meeting Southern Miss in 12 days.
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
WESTERN KENTUCKY, the defending Conference USA champion, won its first five matches this season before falling to Dayton in the Saluki Invitational finale, Saturday. The Hilltoppers began their season with a four-set win against nationally-ranked Wisconsin and that win catapulted them in the AVCA Top 25 after the opening weekend. Outside hitter Alyssa Cavanaugh leads WKU with 63 kills (3.15 per set) and a .254 attack percentage in the early going.
LAST SEASON AND THE SERIES
Tuesday's meeting will be the second consecutive year Austin Peay and Western Kentucky have met. The Lady Govs won the first set and nearly the second but dropped a four-set decision at Western Kentucky last season. It was the Hilltoppers 11th consecutive victory in a series they now lead 28-14 all-time.
CATCH APSU LIVE
Tuesday's match will be broadcast online at WKUSports.tv, hosted by Western Kentucky athletics.
