CLARKSVILLE – Redshirt junior Christina White finished with 14 kills as Austin Peay State University's volleyball team cruised into the semifinals of the Ohio Valley Conference Volleyball Championship with a three-set (25-18, 25-19, 25-13) victory against Southeast Missouri, Thursday, at the Dunn Center.

Austin Peay (28-4), which tied the program record for wins in a season, advances to a 5 p.m., Friday, semifinal contest against Eastern Kentucky. The fourth-seeded Colonels needed five sets to advance past Belmont in an earlier quarterfinal contest.

The Governors battled with the Redhawks early in each of the three sets, but used big bursts in each frame to gain the upper hand. A 9-2 run in the first gave APSU a 10-5 lead in the first that they would not relinquish. In the second, Austin Peay used a 12-5 burst to build a 14-8 lead and gain control. The third set turned on a Govs 8-0 run for a 12-6 lead that proved decisive.

White's 14-kill outing came on just 25 attempts as she finished with a career-best .520 attack percentage. Freshman Brooke Moore added 11 kills and a .320 attack percentage. Senior Ashley White ended the match with her 10th kill and posted a .308 attack percentage.

Southeast Missouri (11-20) recorded just 30 kills in the contest. Krissa Gearring and Mikayla Kuhlmann each finished with seven kills to lead the Redhawks offense.

SET-BY-SET

SET 1 | GOVS 25-18: Southeast Missouri opened with the match's first two points on kills by Haley Bilbruck. However, the Govs battled back with a 3-0 run, including a block and kill from Kaylee Taff, to take a 4-3 lead. After the Redhawks tied the set 4-4, Moore notched back-to-back kills to finish another 3-0 that gave the Govs the lead for good. Austin Peay would not extend its lead to more than three points until a 4-0 run – punctuated by two Jenna Panning kills – pushed the lead to six points, 20-14. Panning finished with four kills off the bench and four Govs had three kills each in an 18-kill opening salvo.

SET 2 | GOVS 25-19: The second set saw the teams trade the lead twice in the opening six points. Yet another 3-0 burst from the Govs turned the tide, giving APSU a 5-3 lead they would not relinquish. It was the first part of an extensive 12-4 run that saw the Govs go from trailing by a point, 3-2, to leading by six points, 14-7. Southeast Missouri attempted to stem the Govs run with four straight points but Austin Peay scored five of the next six to take control. White had five kills on nine swings (.556 attack percentage) to pace another 18-kill frame for the Govs.

SET 3 | GOVS 25-13: Out of the break, Southeast Missouri pushed the Govs through five ties in the first 10 points but the match turned on an 8-0 run –  three Christina White kills, two Allie O'Reilly service aces and a kill each from Kaylee Taff and Slay – that built a 12-5 lead. Austin Peay closed the match with another 10-3 run to seal its trip to the semifinals with its third 18-kill set.

GOVS, NOTABLY

WINS RECORD TIED. In just its 33 match this season, Austin Peay's 2017 squad tied the program record for victories. The Govs 28 wins matched the 1992 team for most victories in a season. It took the 1992 edition until its 34th match to reach the mark and it finished the year with a 28-7 record.

SOMETHING ABOUT SEMO. Austin Peay's 54-kill performance in the quarterfinals was its best offensive outing in a three-set match this season. Three of the Govs top five outings in three-set matches this season came against the Redhawks.

GETTING HOT AT THE RIGHT TIME. The Govs .339 attack percentage against Southeast Missouri was their third-best attack percentage this season. In fact, three of the Govs top four hitting performances have come in the last two weeks.

SLAY FIVE AWAY FROM 5TH. Slay finished the night within five kills of moving into the Govs career Top 5 in kills. Her 1,267 career kills remains sixth but she is within sight of Nikki Doyle's 1,272 kills (2009-12) that sits fifth.

STUCKER 65 AWAY FROM RECORD. Stucker's 43-assist night vaulted her to No. 3 on the Govs single-season assists list. She is just 65 assists away from breaking the program record of 1,455 assists set by Annie Glieber in 1999.