CLARKSVILLE – Austin Peay State University's volleyball team begins its final regular season road trip, starting Thursday, with a berth in the Ohio Valley Conference's Volleyball Championship nearly secured.

The Govs, who are fifth in the OVC race as the road trip starts, will travel to OVC co-leader Southeast Missouri for a 6 p.m., Thursday match, before facing sixth-place UT Martin at 6 p.m., Friday. The road trip concludes next week with a 6 p.m., Tuesday affair at third-place Murray State.

FROM THE SERVE

• Austin Peay's magic number to qualify for the OVC Championship stands at two entering the weekend. If the Govs sweep the weekend they qualify on their own; otherwise, they will watch this weekend's results from Eastern Kentucky and Tennessee State.
• Senior Jenna Panning made the most of the Govs senior weekend, leading the way with 33 kills (3.67/set), including a career-best 21-kill outing against SIUE, Saturday.  
• Junior Brooke Moore is nearing a trio of career milestones, entering this weekend with 973 kills and 998 digs. She is seeking to become the 15th Govs player to reach 1,000 career kills and the 22nd to post 1,000 career digs. When she reaches both milestones, Moore would become the ninth Govs player to record 1,000 in both categories.
• Junior Chloe Stitt leads the Govs offense, averaging 3.53 kills per set in OVC play, good for sixth among the league's hitters. She posted 32 kills and a .256 attack percentage in the Govs two victories last week.
• Senior Ginny Gerig Busse saw her OVC  lead in digs extended. She is averaging 5.67 digs per set in OVC action and her 261 digs are nearly 40 more than any other defender. She ranks 45th among Division I defenders with 4.85 digs per set for the season.
• The Govs victory against Texas Tech, Sept. 7, was their fourth win against a Power Five opponent during head coach Taylor Mott's tenure. It is the third consecutive year Austin Peay has downed a Power Five foe.
• Austin Peay played its first 16 contests on the road, the longest road trip in program history. The Govs covered a total of 4,656 miles before their home opener, Oct. 4, against Southeast Missouri.
• The Govs were picked to finish second in the OVC Preseason Predicted Order of Finish with a pair of Governors named to the 14-woman Preseason All-OVC Team.
• While Austin Peay is the back-to-back defending Ohio Valley Conference champion, it has had a largely new look in 2019 as it lost its top outside hitter, primary setter and top middle blocker to graduation.

SCANNING THE HOMESTAND

Southeast Missouri 18-8 (10-2 OVC) Cape Girardeau, MO Roster Schedule Stats	UT Martin 10-17 (6-6 OVC) Martin, TN Roster Schedule Stats
Southeast Missouri has been the OVC's biggest surprise in 2019, entering this weekend as a league co-leader after being picked to finish sixth in the preseason poll. The Redhawks bring a six-match win streak into this weekend's action, including a sweep of Morehead State that puts them in the driver's seat to host the OVC tournament in two weeks. Southeast Missouri has proven to be the league's best blocking team throughout conference play and leads the OVC in blocks (2.41/set) and opponent's hitting percentage (.134). Junior Maggie Adams leads that effort with 62 blocks (1.35/set) in league play.	UT Martin (10-17, 6-6 OVC) has climbed into a three-way tie for sixth place thanks to a 3-1 record over the last two weeks, the lone loss a five-set decision to Southeast Missouri last week. The Skyhawks are solidly middle of the OVC pack offensively, ranking fifth in both attack percentage (.198) and kills (13.14) in OVC play. Sophomore Holly Wallick is enjoying an impressive four-match stretch that has seen her post 64 kills (4.0/set) and a .236 attack percentage, catapulting her to eighth among the OVC leaders in kills (3.26/set) this season.