APSU Sports Information
Clarksville, TN – In the run up to its regular-season opener, Austin Peay State University (APSU)’s volleyball team will host Trevecca in a 3:00pm, Tuesday, August 21st, 2018 exhibition contest at the APSU Dunn Center. Admission to the contest is free to the public.
Austin Peay, the defending Ohio Valley Conference regular season and tournament champions, are in their final week of preseason preparation.
The Governors and Trojans will play a five-set fixture, Tuesday, regardless of score in order to allow both teams the maximum opportunity to test themselves.
The exhibition is the first of its kind allowed after NCAA volleyball rule changes last spring allowed Division I teams to play an exhibition or scrimmage contest prior to the regular season’s start.
Familiar Faces
Twelve returnees dominate Austin Peay’s 15-woman roster in 2018. Highlighting those returnees are senior Kristen Stucker, the two-time defending OVC Setter of the Year, and sophomore Brooke Moore, who was the OVC Tournament’s Most Valuable Player last season.
Stucker was sixth among all Division I setters with 1,508 assists last season, but was much more than a setter as she finished with 338 digs, 70 kills and 42 blocks. Moore is APSU’s leading returning offensive threat after posting 290 kills and 44 blocks last season.
Who Will Step Up?
Austin Peay did lose its top two hitters from last season as Ashley Slay (475 kills) and Christina White (384) departed due to graduation. That duo combined for nearly 47 percent of the team’s total kills. However, Moore is one of five hitters – seniors Kaylee Taff, Cecily Gable and Logan Carger as well as junior Jenna Panning – who return after posting 100-kill campaigns last season.
Mott Mention
“I believe we’re ready to play against someone other than ourselves,” said Governors head coach Taylor Mott. “It’s been a positive preseason and we’ve taken some good steps forward. I’m looking forward to putting some different groupings on the court and seeing how they work.”
On The Docket
The Governors open their 2018 regular season schedule with the UMKC Invitational, Friday and Saturday, in Kansas City, Missouri. Austin Peay will face Western Michigan in a 10:30am, Friday season-opening contest before squaring off against South Dakota State later that day. The Govs will face the host Kangaroos in a 1:30pm, Saturday contest to conclude their opening weekend.
