CHARLESTON – Austin Peay State University's volleyball team hits the halfway point of the Ohio Valley Conference regular-season race when it heads north to face Eastern Illinois in a two-match series. The Govs and Panthers open the set with a 7 p.m., Sunday contest at Lantz Arena then play a 4 p.m., Monday match to conclude the first half of the 16-match OVC slate.

After three weekends the Govs – as one of four teams tied for fourth place – sit on the bubble of the four-team OVC Volleyball Championship. The Govs trail unbeaten Morehead State and Jacksonville State as well as one-loss UT Martin in the race for the postseason.

Austin Peay saw its season-opening four-match win streak stopped last weekend as Morehead State swept the two-match series in Clarksville.. The Govs have the league's No. 4 and No. 5 hitters in Brooke Moore (3.72 kills per set) and Chloe Stitt (3.61). They pace an offense ranked No. 4 in kills (12.89 per set) and No. 6 in attack percentage (.188).

Eastern Illinois is seeking its first match victory this season but has opened up against league-leading Morehead State, third-place UT Martin and fourth-place Tennessee Tech. Kylie Michael is pacing the Panthers with 51 kills (2.68 per set). Laurel Bailey has 46 kills (2.71 per set) and 13 blocks (0.76 per set) prior to missing EIU's last match.

FIRST SWINGS

• Last season, outside hitter Brooke Moore, a Preseason All-OVC selection, became the eighth Govs player surpass both 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs during her career. She recorded double-digit kills in her first five matches this season and ranks fourth among OVC hitters with 3.72 kills per set.
• Outside hitter Chloe Stitt also posted double-digit kill totals in each of her first five matches. Her 3.61 kills per set ranks fifth in the OVC, behind Moore.
• Outside hitter Aysha Hood has two kills in each of her first six matches, starting four of the six contests. She has a block in each of her last three matches and is averaging 0.47 blocks per set.
• Middle blocker Karli Graham notched four kills in each of the first four matches but was held to just one kill in the Morehead State series. She leads the Govs with 13 blocks (0.76/set) this season.
• Austin Peay returned both halves of its starting setter tandem in Caroline Waite and Kelsey Mead. Mead leads the duo with 5.72 assists per set and has 10 service aces (0.56/set). Waite is averaging 4.33 assists per set and has 40 digs (2.22/set).
• Right side Tegan Seyring missed the Morehead State series. She has the OVC's top single-match hitting performance this season – a .688-attack percentage (12-1-16) at Tennessee State. It helped her move to No. 9 on the OVC's attack percentage list this season (.329).
• After three seasons as the Govs understudy, senior Nina Korfhage took over as the lead libero this spring. She notched a career-best 20 digs in the Tennessee State finale. Korfhage is currently No. 7 on the OVC's digs list with 4.11 digs per set.
• Joining Graham at middle blocker is Maggie Keenan. She saw a four-match streak with a block stopped in the Morehead State finale.  She has 18 kills (1.13/set) and 7 blocks (0.44/set) this season.
• Keenan leads a group of five newcomers on Austin Peay's 2020-21 roster. Setter Janvier Buggs, libero Morgan Rutledge and outside hitters Taylor McInerney and Kaylah Jackson were each 2019 signees.
• Adding experience off the bench will be junior middle blocker Claire Darland, who has started three matches this season, and sophomore defensive specialist Erin Eisenhart, who had 111 digs (2.09/set) in 19 matches played.

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