Clarksville, TN – Fresh off a sweep of the reigning Ohio Valley Conference Champions, the Austin Peay State University (APSU) volleyball team closes out a two-week homestand when it hosts SIU Edwardsville in a pair of matches on Friday at 6:00pm and Saturday at 2:00pm at the Winfield Dunn Center.
The Governors kicked off their conference season with a thrilling five-set victory over Morehead State, last Friday, after the Eagles clawed their way back after dropping the first two sets. Austin Peay (8-6, 2-0) held off the late comeback attempt and took care of Morehead State in four sets in the weekend’s subsequent match.
SIUE is one of three winless teams in conference play after the opening weekend. The Cougars dropped a pair of home matches to Tennessee Tech last week and hold a 3-10 overall record.
The Govs and Cougars entered the 2021 season ranked in the top four of the OVC’s Predicted Order of Finish, with Austin Peay State University just one spot ahead of SIUE at third. Both teams also had a preseason All-OVC selection with SIUE’s Savannah Christian and the APSU Govs’ Brooke Moore receiving recognition.
Moore is coming off a weekend that saw the fifth-year senior climb to 10th all-time in career digs for the Govs. After a team-high 27 kills against Morehead State, Moore is just three kills behind Kim Smith (1996-99) for fourth all-time.
Friday’s match against the Cougars will be the 25th contest between the two programs. The Govs lead the all-time series 15-9 and have won the last six matches against SIUE.
APSU First Swings
Outside hitter Brooke Moore, a Preseason All-OVC selection, is one of only eight Govs players to record both 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs during their career. She enters the weekend with 1,347 kills (5th all-time) and 1,383 digs (10th).
Moore, who was an all-tournament selection at Marshall and Harvard, posted 28 kills (2.55/set) and 19 digs (1.73/set) at Western Kentucky. Her back-to-back double-doubles last week marked the seventh and eighth of the season.
Junior defensive specialist, Erin Eisenhart, who was an all-tournament selection at the WKU Volleyball Invitational, posted 32 digs (2.91/set) against Western Kentucky. Her 21 digs in the first match against Morehead State last week set a new career-high.
Right-side hitter Mikayla Powell, the 2020-21 NJCAA Division II National Player of the Year, earned all-tournament honors at the Indiana State Invitational September 10th-11th. Powell also recorded 25 kills against Morehead State, last week, including the dagger in the final match against the Eagles.
Middle blocker Jaida Clark set a career-high with 13 kills against Morehead State in both matches. Her 26 combined kills of the weekend were behind only Brooke Moore’s 27.
The Govs setter tandem of Caroline Waite and Kelsey Mead are in their second year combining to quarterback the Govs offense. Mead is averaging 4.86 assists and 1.55 digs per set with 12 aces. Waite has averaged 4.75 assists and 2.37 digs per set through five weeks.
Middle blocker Maggie Keenan has recorded five or more blocks eight times this season, including a streak of seven straight matches that ended with a four-block effort. She has a team-best 58 blocks (1.26/set) this season.
Freshman Libero Jessica Lary took over at libero during the Govs weekend at Harvard. In her 38 sets as the starting libero, she has averaged 3.24 digs per set.
Next Up For APSU Volleyball
After Saturday’s match, the Austin Peay State University women’s volleyball team will play a future ASUN Conference rival Bellarmine at 5:00pm CT, Tuesday, October 5th in Louisville, before traveling to face Tennessee Tech, Oct. 8th-9th, in Cookeville.
