CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – First-ever trips to Harvard and Marshall highlight the Austin Peay State University volleyball team's 31-match fall 2021 schedule, released Friday.

Just 143 days after closing the delayed 2020 season in Martin, Tennessee, the Governors will take the court in an exhibition contest at Middle Tennessee, Aug. 19. Eight days later, Austin Peay begins the regular season, August 27-28, with its first trip to Huntington, West Virginia, where it will face Alabama, Miami (Ohio), and host Marshall.

Austin Peay continues its season-opening 12-match road trip with another first-time trip, a Sept. 3-4 tournament in Cambridge, Massachusetts. There the Govs square off against three first-time opponents:  Merrimack, host Harvard, and Marist.

Then it's back to the Ohio Valley for the next two weekend tournaments. First is the Sept. 10-11 Indiana State Invitational in Terre Haute, Indiana, where Western Michigan, IUPUI, and host Indiana State await. One week later, the road trip ends, Sept 17-18, in Bowling Green, Kentucky, with matches against St. Johns, Ohio, and host Western Kentucky.

Ohio Valley Conference play begins Sept. 24-25, and the league elected to continue its format from the Spring 2021 schedule with teams playing back-to-back matches against the same team, except for each team's travel partner.

Austin Peay will host defending OVC champion Morehead State (Sept. 24-25) to open the conference slate, followed by home weekends against SIUE (Oct. 1-2), Belmont (Oct. 22-23), and UT Martin (Nov. 6-7). The Governors travel to Tennessee Tech (Oct. 8-9), Tennessee State (Oct. 15-16), Southeast Missouri (Oct. 28-29), and Eastern Illinois (Nov. 12-13).

Austin Peay will meet Murray State in two midweek matches during the conference slate. The Govs host the Racers, Oct. 13, followed by a Nov. 10 return to Murray, Kentucky. Also sprinkled into the conference slate is a trip to Bellarmine – the Govs traveling to Louisville, Kentucky for the Oct. 5 nonconference tilt.