CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - Austin Peay State University's volleyball team dropped its opening two matches of the Stacheville Challenge, Friday, in the Winfield Dunn Center.
Austin Peay (0-2) fell 21-25, 18-25, 27-25, 18-25 to Murray State (1-1) in its first match of the tournament and 19-25, 25-11, 21-25, 20-25 to Xavier (2-0) in its second match.
The Racers took the lead early in the match, taking the first and second sets. The Govs battled back in the first set, an 8-4 run got them within two at 17-15. Murray State continued to extend its lead with a pair of kills from Ella Vogel. A kill by Taly Cloyd, assisted by Gianna Tagoa'i, got the Governors within two yet again, but a kill from the Racers gave them the 25-21 first set win. Murray State built its lead up to 14-10 in the second set with a trio of kills, forcing an APSU timeout. MSU continued to build on its momentum with a 5-2 run out of the timeout to take a 19-13 lead. The Governors went on a 4-0 run to get back within two at 19-17, but the Racers ended the set on a 6-1 run, taking the 25-18 second set victory.
The third saw back-and-forth action with 12 ties and four lead changes. The two teams found themselves tied again at 16, but an ace by Tagoa'i allowed the govs to lead for the first time since early in the third set. A kill from Lauren Wallace and Tagoa'i gave the Govs the 27-25 third set win, forcing a fourth set. The Racers took control of the set early, leading 12-6. Austin Peay got as close as 19-15 from a kill by Dayan Malavé. An ace by Cloyd and a kill from Dani Kopacz allowed the Govs to get within 22-18, but ultimately the 25-18 fourth set win went to the Racers.
In the Governors' second matchup of the day, Xavier took control of the first set early, going up 12-6. The Govs battled back with a 7-4 run to get them within two at 16-14, forcing a Xavier timeout. The Musketeers extended their lead to 22-16, but a kill from Cloyd allowed the Govs to get back within four at 23-19. The Musketeers took the first set with a kill and an ace by Emma Grace.
Austin Peay never trailed in the second set, going up 11-5 as a block from Malavé forced a Musketeer timeout. The Governors continued to build on their early momentum, extending their lead to as many as 13 at 24-11. A service ace by Sarah Butler ended the set, giving the Govs a 25-11 victory. Austin Peay continued their momentum from the second frame, going up 19-11 on their opponent, forcing a timeout. Xavier went on an 11-0 run out of the timeout, allowing them to lead 22-19. The Musketeers ended the set on a 5-2 run to take a 25-21 third-set win.
The two teams found themselves tied at 13, but the Musketeers began to pull away from a 5-0 run, forcing a Governor timeout at 18-13. The Govs rallied back with a kill by Nya Browne and an ace from Addi Hultquist that got them within two at 19-17. Xavier closed the match with a 6-3 run to give them the 25-20 fourth set victory.
The Governors are back in action at the Stacheville Challenge tomorrow at 2 p.m. as they face Tennessee Tech.
Match Points
Austin Peay vs Murray State
- Nya Browne and Dani Kopacz led with 11 kills, a career-high for both.
- Browne paced the Govs with a .579 hitting percentage, 11 kills on 19 swings, and four blocks.
- Gianna Tagoa'i had 27 assists.
- Kopacz, Tagoa'i, and Taly Cloyd each had two aces.
- Reagan Anderson led with 19 digs.
- The Govs had seven blocks compared to MSU's six.
Austin Peay vs Xavier
- Cloyd led with 13 kills, Kopacz had nine.
- Tagoa'i had 17 assists, and Sarah Butler had 14.
- Addi Hultquist led with six service aces, a career-high.
- Malavé paced the Govs with four total blocks, two of those block solos.
- Reagan Anderson led with 22 digs, a career-high
For news and updates on coach Amstutz's inaugural season, follow the volleyball team on X and Instagram (@GovsVolleyball) or check back in at LetsGoPeay.com.
