Martin, TN – Playing in the first-ever Ohio Valley Conference Beach Volleyball Championship, the Austin Peay State University (APSU) beach volleyball team beat No. 5 seed Jacksonville State, 3-2, in the first round before upsetting top-seeded Morehead State, 3-2, in the quarterfinals, Thursday, at the Skyhawk Beach Volleyball Complex.
The No. 4 seeded Governors are now set to square off with No. 3 seed UT Martin in a 2:00pm, Friday, semifinal match at the inaugural OVC Beach Volleyball Tournament.
The winner of the match between the Govs and Skyhawks will secure a spot in the OVC Beach Volleyball Championship match at noon, Saturday; while the loser will play at 10:00am, Saturday for a chance to make it to the title match.
In the opening match against Jacksonville State, the duo of MiMi Arrington and Claire Darland staked the Govs to a 1-0 lead with a two-set win in the No. 5 pairing. But the Gamecocks had an answer and tied the match, 1-1, with a win in the No. 4 pairing. In the No. 2 pairing, First Team All-OVC duo Jenna Panning and Brooke Moore put together a dominate performance, winning 21-8 and 21-7, to give Austin Peay State University a 2-1 advantage.
With just two matches still playing, Jacksonville State was able to once again tie the match with a win in the No. 3 pairing. In the final match left on the sand, Second Team All-OVC duo Marlayna Bullington and Aysha Hood picked up a match-clinching win in the No. 1 pairing to secure the Governors spot in the semifinals against top-seeded Morehead State.
Hours after beating Jacksonville State, the APSU Govs were back in action against Morehead State and the Eagles jumped out to a 1-0 lead with a win in the No. 5 pairing. The No. 4 pairing was the next on the board and the duo of Caroline Waite and Erin Eisenhart picked up a dramatic win in the No. 4 pairing after trailing 8-4 to start the third set of the match.
With the match tied, Kelsey Mead and Tegan Seyring picked up their fourth win of the season and gave the APSU Govs a 2-1 advantage when they beat the Eagles in the No. 3 pairing. However, Morehead State was able to tie the match when OVC Pair of the Year Hannah Keating and Allison Whitten knocked off Bullington and Hood in the No. 1 pairing.
With just one match left on the sand and everyone gathered around to watch, Panning and Moore dropped the first set of the No. 2 pairing to First-Team All-OVC pairing Olivia Lohmeier and Trinity Miller. But the Austin Peay State University’s winningest duo bounced back to win the second set, 21-18, and force a decisive third set in the final match of the first day of the OVC Tournament.
After falling behind 13-7 to start the third set, Panning and Moore went on a fortune-turning 8-0 run to come back and beat the Eagles, 15-13, securing a 3-2 win for the Governors.
To stay up to date with the Govs and the rest of the OVC Beach Volleyball Championship, visit the tournament’s homepage or check back at LetsGoPeay.com. For scores, news, and schedule updates, follow Austin Peay State University Beach Volleyball on Twitter (@AustinPeayBVB).
Results
No. 4 seed Austin Peay def. No. 5 seed Jacksonville State, 3-2
No. 1: Marlayna Bullington/Aysha Hood (APSU) def. Kaylie Milton/Kylee Quigley (JSU), 21-19, 21-18
No. 2: Jenna Panning/Brooke Moore (APSU) def. Katie Montgomery/Courtney Glotzbach (JSU), 21-8, 21-7
No. 3: Lena Kindermann/Erin Carmichael (JSU) def. Kelsey Mead/Tegan Seyring (APSU), 21-19, 21-18
No. 4: Peyton Pauze/Macie Garrison (JSU) def. Caroline Waite/Erin Eisenhart (APSU), 21-17, 22-20
No. 5: MiMi Arrington/Claire Darland (APSU) def. Bethany Randall/Grace Jarnigan, 21-16, 21-18
Order of Finish: 5, 4, 2, 3, 1
No. 4 seed Austin Peay def. No. 1 seed Morehead State, 3-2
No. 1: Allison Whitten/Hannah Keating (MSU) def. Marlayna Bullington/Aysha Hood (APSU), 23-21, 21-16
No. 2: Jenna Panning/Brooke Moore (APSU) def. Trinity Miller/Olivia Lohmeier (MSU), 17-21, 21-18, 15-13
No. 3: Kelsey Mead/Tegan Seyring (APSU) def. Anya Reinhard/Margaret Musselman (MSU), 21-17, 21-12
No. 4: Caroline Waite/Erin Eisenhart (APSU) def. Olivia Montelisciani/Liz Allen (MSU), 21-15, 16-21, 15-12
No. 5: Taylor Hodges/Bridget Bessler (MSU) def. MiMi Arrington/Claire Darland (APSU), 21-13, 21-18
Order of Finish: 5, 4, 3, 1, 2
