LEADING OFF
Austin Peay's volleyball team returns home to host the Stacheville Challenge, Friday-Saturday, at the Winfield Dunn Center. The four-team round-robin event will see Austin Peay host North Dakota State, East Tennessee, and UT Martin.
The Governors open the tournament with a first-ever meeting against North Dakota State at noon, Friday. Austin Peay then faces ETSU in a 6:30 p.m., Friday match in the first meeting between the two teams since 2016. The weekend wraps up when the Govs host long-time foe UT Martin in a 1:30 p.m., Saturday matchup. All six matches of the Stacheville Challenge are free to the public.
Austin Peay opens its home slate after a solid outing at Western Kentucky's tournament last weekend. The Govs won back-to-back five-set decisions against Northern Kentucky and Toledo before falling in three sets to nationally-ranked WKU. Marlayna Bullington and Maggie Keenan were named to the WKU all-tournament team with Bullington posting 33 kills (2.54/set) while Keenan had 18 blocks (1.38/set) over the weekend.
THROUGH THE ROTATION
- Right-side hitter Mikayla Powell notched her second-career 20-kill performance to open the Govs stay at WKU last weekend. She posted a career-high 22 kills (.352 attack percentage) against Northern Kentucky. Powell ranks 10th among ASUN hitters with 3.03 kills per set after three weeks.
- Middle blocker Maggie Keenan picked up all-tournament honors at WKU thanks to an 11-block performance against Toledo. It was tied for the fourth-best single match performance all-time by a Govs blocker. She paced an APSU 17-block outing that tied the fifth-best mark in program history.
- After posting two double-digit kill outings in the season's first two weeks, outside hitter Marlayna Bullington had two double-digit efforts in three matches at Western Kentucky. She posted a career-best 17 kills and added 18 digs against Toledo.
- 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 5.59 assists per set while Buggs has 3.56 assists per set.
- Middle blocker Jaida Clark also has made her mark at the net this season, entering the season's fourth week with 63 kills (1.85/set) and 23 blocks (0.68/set).
- Erin Eisenhart has picked up where she left off last season, averaging 4.12 digs per set at the libero spot. She ranks sixth among the ASUN's defenders and is pacing an APSU defense that ranks fourth in the ASUN with 15.41 digs per set.
- Right-side hitter Tegan Seyring notched her third double-digit kill outing of 2022 with 11 kills against Toledo. She has one effort of 10-plus kills in each of the season's first three weekends.
- Austin Peay joined the college conference realignment movement last season with its move to the ASUN Conference becoming official July 1.
GOVS, QUICKLY
This year's Stacheville Challenge is the sixth time Austin Peay has hosted an in-season tournament, joining events in 1980, 1982, 2000, 2008, and 2017… Austin Peay has won three of the previous five tourneys and owns a 18-5 record all-time in its own tournaments.
SERIES HISTORIES
NORTH DAKOTA STATE: First Meeting
Notably: While it is the first-ever meeting between the Govs and Bison, it is the second-straight week APSU has faced a Horizon League member. Austin Peay defeated Northern Kentucky in five sets last weekend at Western Kentucky.
EAST TENNESSEE: 10th meeting, ETSU leads 5-4
Notably: The Govs and Bucs have not met since the 2016 season when ETSU won a three-set decision in Johnson City. It is the first meeting between the two in Clarksville since 1992, ETSU won that meeting in four sets.
UT MARTIN: 89th meeting, APSU leads 55-33
Notably: Longtime foes in the Ohio Valley Conference, this is the first nonconference meeting between UTM and APSU since 1993. The Govs and Skyhawks played four times in the 2021 calendar year with APSU winning three times. The Govs are 17-3 against UTM during the Mott era.
