MARTIN – Austin Peay State University beach volleyball swept a doubleheader against UT Martin, 4-1 and 4-1, Wednesday at the Skyhawk Beach Volleyball Complex.
In the first match of the afternoon, MiMi Arrington and Claire Darland got the Governors started with a three-set win over Baillie Kearns and Kambree Lucas in the No. 5 pairing. Then in the No. 4 pairing, Caroline Waite and Erin Eisenhart also defeated the Skyhawks in three sets to give the Govs a 2-0 lead.
After UT Martin picked up a win in the No. 3 pairing, Jenna Panning and Brooke Moore scored the match-clinching point for the Governors in straight sets in the No. 2 pairing. Finally, Marlayna Bullington and Aysha Hood picked up another win against the Skyhawks in the No. 1 paiirng to secure a 4-1 win for Austin Peay.
In match two the Governors kept the same lineup as the first match and found the same success. The duos of Arrington/Darland and Waite/Eisenhart won in the No. 5 and No. 4 pairings, respectively, as they each picked up their fifth win of the season to give the Govs a 2-0 advantage.
UT Martin once again won the No. 3 pairing, but Panning and Moore once again picked up the match-clinching point for the Governors when they won their team-best eighth match of the season with a win in the No. 2 pairing. In the final match of the afternoon, Bullington and Hood repeated their efforts from the first match and picked up a win in the No. 1 pairing to secure a 4-1 win for Austin Peay.
Austin Peay also won both No. 6 extension matches against UT Martin, with Karli Graham and Taylor McInerney winning in the first outing and then Maggie Keenan and Morgan Rutledge winning in the second match.
Austin Peay will wrap up the regular season this weekend when they travel to Richmond, Kentucky, for the EKU Beach Tournament. On Saturday the Governors will play Morehead State, 10 a.m., and Jacksonville State, 2 p.m., before playing Chattanooga, 1 p.m., and Eastern Kentucky, 5 p.m., on Sunday.
In the time of COVID-19, there is always a chance that a match will be postponed or not come to fruition. For news, scheduling changes, and match-time updates, be sure to check back at LetsGoPeay.com or follow the Governors Beach Volleyball Twitter account (@AustinPeayBVB).
