LEADING OFF

Austin Peay faces its final road weekend of the 2022 season when it heads east for ASUN Conference matches against Liberty and Queens – both first-time opponents for the Governors. APSU faces Liberty in a 5 p.m. (CT), Friday match before meeting Queens in a 4 p.m. (CT), Saturday contest.

The Govs return to the road after splitting a pair of home matches last weekend, defeating North Alabama in four sets before dropping a match to Central Arkansas in four sets. Mikayla Powell and Tegan Seyring paced the Govs offense during the weekend. Meanwhile, Erin Eisenhart led a stellar defensive performance for the Govs.

Powell averaged 4.13 kills per set and posted a .433 attack percentage as she continued her return to form. Seyring remained on her red-hot ASUN pace with 3.50 kills per set at a .221 attack percentage. Eisenhart averaged 6.25 digs per set, leading an APSU defense that held the Lions and Bears to a collective .158 attack percentage.

THROUGH THE ROTATION

• Right-side hitter Tegan Seyring has made her mark in ASUN action. She leads the Govs with 119 kills (2.90 per set) and a .261 attack percentage in league matches. She has posted seven of her 10 double-digit kill performances in league play.
• After opening the season with eight double-digit kill performances in 11 matches, right-side hitter Mikayla Powell posted just one double-digit outing in the first six ASUN matches. However, she has averaged 3.56 kills per set at a .373 clip in her last four matches.
• Kelsey Mead and Janvier Buggs have teamed up at setter this season, the fourth-consecutive year the Govs have used a setting tandem. Mead has a team-best 6.29 assists and 2.28 digs per set while Buggs has 3.97 assists per set.
• Buggs leads the Govs with 25 service aces (0.32 per set), with Mead (24 aces, 0.28 set) and libero Erin Eisenhart (21 aces, 0.27 per set) also with 20-plus aces this season.
• Middle blocker Jaida Clark ranks third among the Govs hitters with 174 kills (2.07 per set). She has double-digit kills in four of her last five matches and has twice tied her career high of 14 kills. First against Lipscomb, Oct. 14, and then again against Central Arkansas (Oct. 22).
• Erin Eisenhart has picked up where she left off last season, averaging 4.49 digs per set. She ranks fifth in the ASUN and is pacing an APSU defense that ranks fourth in the ASUN with 15.59 digs per set.
• Powell and Seyring own nine of the Govs' top 12 kills totals in 2022. Outside hitter Elizabeth Wheat notched 12 kills against North Alabama (Oct. 21), with outside hitter Marlayna Bullington posting 16 kills at Bellarmine (Sept. 23) and 17 kills against Toledo (Sept. 10).
• Middle blocker Maggie Keenan led the Govs with 71 blocks (0.92 per set) with five outings of six-plus blocks prior to suffering an injury during the Govs' home match against Lipscomb (Oct. 14).

GOVS, QUICKLY

APSU's stopped a five-match slide with its victory against North Alabama last week… The Govs now seek to end a four-match road losing streak that dates back to the Eastern Kentucky match (Sept. 24)… Five of the Govs final six matches are against teams either tied for first place or one-match behind the leaders entering this weekend's action.  

SCOUTING THE WEEKEND

LIBERTY
QUICKLY: The Flames have won four-straight matches entering the weekend – all against the ASUN's four Florida members. In addition, Liberty is 9-2 at home this season with its lone losses coming to Jacksonville State to begin October to MEAC-leader Coppin State in September.
W2W4: Lydia Burts is making her case for the league's best middle blocker, ranking second in both attack percentage (.355) and blocks (1.16 per set) this season. Meanwhile, Delaney Dilfer – daughter of NFL alumnus Trent Dilfer – is pacing all ASUN setters with 10.97 assists per set and ranks fourth with 0.41 service aces per set.
SERIES: First Meeting.
SERIES NOTES: The Flames are the seventh team Austin Peay meets for the first time in program history. APSU is 2-4 against first-time foes this season with wins at Florida A&M and against North Dakota State.

QUEENS
QUICKLY: In its first season as a Division I member, Queens has six wins against Division I foes. The Royals picked up a five-set home victory against Jacksonville, Oct. 15, for its inaugural ASUN victory – the first time this season it has pushed an ASUN foe past three sets.
W2W4: Alleigh Johnson has done the bulk of the work for the Royals in 2022. Her 3.34 kills per set ranks fifth in the ASUN and her 264 total kills are nearly one third of Queens' 1206 total kills this season. Defensively, Jesse George ranks 10th in the ASUN with 3.91 digs per set this season.
SERIES: First Meeting.
SERIES NOTES: Queens will be the eighth first-time opponent on the Govs' schedule in 2022.