Box Score JACKSONVILLE, Ala. – Senior middle blocker Karli Graham finished with 10 kills and three blocks but Austin Peay State University's volleyball team dropped a three-set (24-26, 19-25, 22-25) Ohio Valley Conference decision to league-leading Jacksonville State, Saturday.
Austin Peay (7-17, 5-5 OVC), which faced the 11 a.m. first serve after playing the previous night in Cookeville, Tennessee, showed few signs of lethargy. Jacksonville State threw a 5-0 run at the Govs, but they responded with a 6-0 run to take a 12-9 lead in the first set. Austin Peay would nurse that lead nearly to the end of the set, leading 23-20 late, but the Gamecocks scored six of the final seven points to win the frame.
Jacksonville State (14-8, 8-2 OVC) carried that momentum into the second set, winning the frame in wire-to-wire fashion. Austin Peay shook off that result and opened the third set with a 6-0 run and led 18-14 late. Jacksonville State closed that gap with a 4-0 run and the teams traded mini-runs, the Govs tying the set again at 22-22. The Gamecocks rallied at that point with the final three points to clinch the match.
Graham's 10 kills came without an attack error on 20 attempts, a .500 attack percentage. Junior Brooke Moore added nine kills in Austin Peay's 42-kill outing.
Jacksonville State's Lena Kindermann led all hitters with 11 kills while hitting .200. Kaylee Frear had a seven-block outing as the Gamecocks finished with 14 blocks against the Governors.
Austin Peay returns home for a two-match homestand, starting with a 6 p.m., Friday contest against Eastern Illinois.