APSU Sports Information
Charleston, IL – Austin Peay State University’s volleyball team pushed Eastern Illinois before dropping a four-set (17-25, 25-23, 23-25, 22-25) Ohio Valley Conference decision, Friday night, at Lantz Arena.
Austin Peay (6-18, 1-8 OVC) could not match Eastern Illinois’ offensive fire power in the opening frame.
The Lady Govs had just 11 kills at a .125 attack percentage while Eastern Illinois rocketed out of the gate with 17 kills at a .400 attack percentage.The Panthers claimed the first set in wire-to-wire fashion, 25-17.
The Lady Govs led the bulk of the second set only to see the Panthers rally late and claim a 23-22 lead. Austin Peay did not surrender and scored the final three points – one courtesy a Sammie Ebright service ace – to win the set, 25-23.
Eastern Illinois (12-11, 7-2 OVC) built a 6-2 lead early in the third set, but Austin Peay battled back and claimed the lead midway through the frame. The Lady Govs 13-12 lead was short lived as the Panthers won the next five points for a 17-13 lead. An Austin Peay 5-0 run tied the set at 20-20 but it could not regain the lead as the team’s traded the next four points. EIU closed the set with a 3-1 run to win 25-23.
Austin Peay grabbed a 12-8 lead in the fourth set and was on the cusp of forcing a fifth set when it lead 20-15. But Eastern Illinois scored nine kills as part of a match-ending 10-2 run, winning 25-22.
“Peyton Walker stepped up and did a good job blocking and hitting. April (Adams) played pretty good defense and Logan (Carger) and Kelly (Ferguson) came up with some big blocks at key times. Eastern Illinois was a better defensive team and more efficient hitting but we fought hard for every point,” stated APSU Volleyball head coach Taylor Mott.
Samantha Strother led Austin Peay with a 13-kill, 10-dig double-double performance. Peyton Walker came off the bench to add nine kills. Austin Peay finished with 48 kills but was held to a .142 attack percentage. The Lady Govs did record seven service aces, including four by April Adams.
Taylor Smith’s 18-kill, 20-assist, 14-dig, six-block performance paced Eastern Illinois. She was one of four players to reach double-digit kill territory as the Panthers posted 63 kills at a .269 attack percentage.
Austin Peay continues its Illinois Swing with a 2:00pm, Saturday contest at SIU Edwardsville.