CLARKSVILLE – Outside hitter Chloe Stitt led all hitters with 14 kills and Austin Peay State University's volleyball team outlasted Eastern Illinois to win a four-set (25-18, 25-21, 20-25, 25-22) Ohio Valley Conference decision, Friday night, at the Dunn Center.
Austin Peay (8-17, 6-5 OVC) had difficulty getting separation from Eastern Illinois throughout the match. In the opening frame the Govs built a lead with a 6-0 run only to watch EIU nearly erase the advantage by scoring eight of the next 10 points. However, the Govs held off the Panthers to pick up the win.
Eastern Illinois (2-21, 1-10 OVC) held the early edge in the second, building a 12-10 advantage. But the Govs closed the second by outscoring the Panthers 15-9 the rest of the way to win the second and take a 2-0 lead. The Panthers shook off the loss and used six service aces in the third to keep the Govs off balance. Still the Govs rallied to tie the set at 16-16, but a 3-0 EIU run killed the Govs momentum and the Panthers edged away for the 25-20 victory.
The Govs rebounded in the fourth set as Stitt and outside hitter Jenna Panning combined for six kills in the frame. Austin Peay would break a 14-14 tie with four-straight points then fended off an Eastern Illinois run that tied the set at 21-21. Panning and middle blocker Karli Graham would record a block to give APSU a 23-21 lead and Panning finished the match with a kill.
Stitt's 14 kills off the bench saw her post a .286 attack percentage. Panning finished with 12 kills and a .296 attack percentage. Graham had a team-best four blocks along with seven kills in the win.
Katie Sommer led EIU with 10 kills, posting a .300 attack percentage, along with two service aces and three blocks. The Panthers recorded 13 service aces in the contest, helping keep the match close.
The Govs moved into a three-way tie for fifth place with Friday's win and will face an SIUE team they are tied with in the standings at 2 p.m., Saturday. Austin Peay will recognize its four seniors prior to the start of Saturday's contest.
