CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – Looking to get back in the win column in the final weekend of the regular season, the Austin Peay State University beach volleyball team is set to host Chattanooga and Jacksonville State for the Govs Beach Bash, Friday and Saturday, at the Govs Beach Volleyball Complex.
Austin Peay opens the weekend with a noon, Friday match against Chattanooga and a 2 p.m., Friday match against Jacksonville State before playing 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. matches against the Gamecocks and Mocs, respectively, to wrap up the home weekend, Saturday.
The Governors will celebrate Senior Day and honor seniors Marlayna Bullington, Erin Eisenhart, Karli Graham, Chloee McDaniel, Kelsey Mead, Mikayla Powell, and Tegan Seyring before Saturday's 2 p.m. match against Chattanooga.
This weekend will be Austin Peay's first match with Chattanooga since the Mocs beat the Governors, 3-2, in the opening round of the 2022 Ohio Valley Conference Beach Volleyball Championship. The Govs are 3-3 all-time against Chattanooga and have won three of the last four meetings with the in-state rival.
The Governors will take on Jacksonville State for the second and third times this season after sweeping the Gamecocks, 5-0, in their first meeting at the UAB Beach Classic. Austin Peay is 11-2 all-time against Jacksonville State and have won five-straight matches in the series dating back to the first round of the 2021 OVC Championship.
The Preseason ASUN All-Conference duo of Marlayna Bullington and Kelsey Mead lead the Governors with a 15-7 record this season. Bullington and Mead have won 14 matches in the No. 1 pairing and have a single win in the No. 2 pairing, they are also 6-4 in their last 10 matches going into the final weekend of the regular season.
Chloee McDaniel and Mikayla Powell have a 12-10 overall record and their dozen wins as a duo are the second-best mark on the team. McDaniel and Powell have won 11 times on the No. 2 line and are 1-0 on the No. 1 line this season. With a 10-8 record this season, Jamie Seward and Elizabeth Wheat have been the Governors primary No. 3 pairing. Seward and Wheat have a 7-8 record on the No. 3 line and are 3-0 on the No. 4 line.
Individually, Seward has 13 wins this season, which is tied with Erin Eisenhart for the third-most on the team this season. Most of Eisenhart's wins have come when partnered with Tegan Seyring – who has 11 wins on her own – the duo is 8-7 overall with seven wins in the No. 4 pairing and one win in the No. 5 pairing. Eisenhart and Seward have won three matches when partnered together this season.
In the final spot in the lineup, Karli Graham and Trisitin Smith have played to an 8-8 overall record with all eight wins coming in the No. 5 pairing. Individually, Graham has picked up a dozen wins this season and Smith has won 10 matches.
After wrapping up the regular season at the Govs Beach Bash, Austin Peay turns its attention toward the ASUN Beach Volleyball Championship, April 20-23, at North Florida's Cooper Family Beach Volleyball Complex in Jacksonville, Florida. For news and updates on everything Governors beach volleyball, follow along on Twitter and Instagram (@GovsBVB) or check back at LetsGoPeay.com.
Govs Beach Bash Schedule
Friday, April 14
Noon – Chattanooga vs. Austin Peay
2:00 PM – Jacksonville State vs. Austin Peay
4:00 PM – Chattanooga vs. Jacksonville State
Saturday, April 15
10:00 AM – Jacksonville State vs. Austin Peay
Noon – Chattanooga vs. Jacksonville State
2:00 PM – Chattanooga vs. Austin Peay
