CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – Austin Peay State University's volleyball team won its ninth-straight contest with a three-set sweep (25-23, 25-22, 25-16) of Southeast Missouri, Friday, in Ohio Valley Conference action at Houck Field House.

Austin Peay (15-2, 3-0 OVC) battled through two tough sets to begin the match, with 16 ties and seven lead changes in the two frames. The Govs fended off a Redhawks rally in the first, scoring four of the final five points to win 25-23. In the second frame, Southeast Missouri fought back to within a point, 23-22, but setter Kristen Stucker dumped in a pair of points to give the Govs a 2-0 lead.

Southeast Missouri (6-11, 1-2 OVC) could not recover from the 2-0 deficit. The Govs jumped out to a quick 7-2 lead in the third frame and extended the advantage to 11 points, 20-9. Southeast Missouri chipped away at the deficit down the stretch but Austin Peay eased to a 25-16 victory.

Senior Ashley Slay posted 14 kills to pace the Governors 48-kill offensive outing. Stucker supplied five kills along with 38 assists and eight digs in the win.

Krissa Gearring ended the night with 10 kills to lead Southeast Missouri.

Austin Peay continues its road trip with a 2 p.m., Saturday contest at UT Martin in a matchup between two of the remaining three unbeaten teams in OVC play. The Skyhawks downed Murray State, Friday night, behind Jemima Idemudia's 12-kill, 16-block performance.  

SET-BY-SET
FIRST. Southeast Missouri got out to a quick start in front of its home crown, taking an early 4-1 lead and holding on to that advantage all the way to 12-9. The Govs used a 6-2 burst to take a 15-14 lead – the second of four lead changes in the set. Austin Peay scored four straight points to take a 21-17 lead late only to watch Southeast Missouri respond with a five-point burst to take a 22-21 lead. The Govs closed with four of the final five points to claim the set, 25-23. Jenna Panning supplied four kills on eight errorless swings to pace the Govs offense, which notched 15 kills in the set.

SECOND. Another 4-1 Redhawks start was quickly erased by a 6-1 Governors run. Austin Peay would build no more than a three-point lead, 20-17, in the set. Southeast Missouri would get within a point late, 22-21, but freshman Brooke Moore prevented a tie and junior Kristen Stucker supplied back-to-back kills to end the set. Slay powered her way to seven kills in the set, nearly half of the Govs 16 kills in the frame.

THIRD. Austin Peay drained the suspense out of the match early with a 7-2 burst to start the third frame. The Governors slowly extended their advantage and enjoyed an 11-point, 20-9 lead. Southeast Missouri would ease the deficit back to single digits and denied five Austin Peay match points before Moore ended the match with a kill. Slay added another five kills as the Govs posted another 16 kills in the set.

GOVS, NOTABLY
Nine in a Row. The Govs nine-match win streak is its longest since 2010 and the fourth longest in program history. The 2010 squad pieced together streaks of eight and 10 victories during that OVC tournament title season.

One Away. Senior Ashley Slay was credited with two blocks in the contest and is one block away from recording her 300th career stop. Only four Govs have reached 300 career blocks in program history.

397/93. Head coach Taylor Mott continued her march toward two significant victory marks. Friday's win was her 397th career win and also was her 93rd Austin Peay victory.

Then There Were Three. With UT Martin defeating Murray State, Saturday, Austin Peay is one of only three unbeaten teams in OVC play after three matches. The Govs face the Skyhawks, Saturday, with a matchup against Belmont looming Oct. 19.