CLARKSVILLE – A big defensive night at the net sparked Austin Peay State University's volleyball team to a four-set (25-22, 25-22, 21-25, 25-15) Ohio Valley Conference victory against Murray State, Tuesday night at the Winfield Dunn Center.
Austin Peay (13-2, 3-0 OVC) used a season-best 14 blocks, including three straight to end the match, to secure the victory. Seniors Kristen Stucker and Kaylee Taff each had six blocks to lead the effort, Stucker setting her career high. The Governors also had a solid effort from their back-row defense, which recorded 74 digs in the outing. Junior Ginny Gerig led that effort with 19 digs – one of four Governors to post double-digit dig totals.
Murray State (6-9, 0-3 OVC) would force a fourth set after claiming the third frame. The Racers used a 16-4 run in the fourth to turn an 11-6 deficit into a 22-15 lead and then held off the Governors late. However, Murray State could not get its offense on track in the fourth, committing as many errors as it had kills (eight), including hitting into the APSU block six times.
Offensively, senior Cecily Gable led the Govs with 15 kills and had three blocks (all solo). Sophomore Brooke Moore finished with a 14-kill, 14-dig double-double performance. Senior Logan Carger added a season-best 13-kill outing that included four blocks.
Dacia Brown led Murray State with 18 kills. Rachel Giustino also had a 16-kill, 10-dig double-double outing.
Austin Peay continues its four-match homestand with a 2 p.m., Saturday contest against Morehead State.
SET-BY-SET
SET 1, GOVS WIN 25-22: Murray State gained early control of the opening set with a 4-0 burst to take a 5-3 lead and held a 12-9 advantage after an Emily Matson kill. The Governors then traded points with the Racers at a 2-1 rate to take a 16-14 advantage. Freshman Jaymeson Kinley served back-to-back points, including a service ace, to extend the lead and the Govs held off the Racers the rest of the way. Â
SET 2, GOVS WIN 25-22: Neither team held a comfortable advantage over the first 18 points of the second set, trading the lead twice and battling through six lead changes. But the Govs broke the set open with six straight points, including a pair of kills by Logan Carger, to build a 15-9 lead. Murray State would score four of five late to narrow the Govs lead, but Cecily Gable ended the frame with a kill.
SET 3, RACERS WIN 25-21: Austin Peay looked poised for a sweep after scoring six of seven early to build an 11-6 lead. However, Murray State scored six of seven to tie the set and then continued to build its run into a commanding 16-4 burst that saw it leading 22-15. Austin Peay attempted to mount a comeback late, scoring six of eight to get back within three points at 24-21, but Murray State's Dacia Brown connected for a kill on the fifth set point chance.
SET 4, GOVS WIN 25-15: The fourth set turned early in Austin Peay's favor as they used a 5-0 run to build an 8-4 advantage. A later four-point burst included kills by Gable, Moore and Stucker as they extended the lead to 13-6 and never looked back. Austin Peay closed the match with a flourish, recording three consecutive blocks with Kaylee Taff lending a hand in all three stops.
GOVS, NOTABLY
BLOCK PARTY. Austin Peay's 14-block outing was its second double-digit total this season, joining a 10-block effort against South Dakota State, in the season's second match. It also was the seventh-best blocking effort in a four-set match in program history.
COVER GIRL. Kristen Stucker entered the night needing just seven assists to reach 4,000 career helpers and blew past the milestone with a 49-assist night. She ends the day with 4,042 career assists, the fourth Govs setter to surpass the 4,000-assist mark.
YOU GOT IT. With the win, Austin Peay claimed the opening contest in the 2018-19 edition of the Heritage Bank Battle of the Border. The Governors fell three points shy of claiming the 2017-18 trophy, which is awarded to a season-long competition between Austin Peay and Murray State.
