Charleston, IL – Graduate student Brooke Moore led the Austin Peay State University (APSU) volleyball team to a four-set (25-22, 17-25, 25-20, 25-23) Ohio Valley Conference victory against Eastern Illinois in the regular-season finale, Saturday, at Lantz arena.
The Louisville, Kentucky native set the tone early for the Govs offensively with seven kills in a first set that never saw them trail. After having their lead cut to one late, a trio of kills sophomore Maggie Keenan gave APSU the early lead with a 25-22 victory.
The Govs saw an 11-9 lead turn into a 13-11 deficit following four-straight Panthers’ points that brought an APSU timeout. Eastern Illinois maintained a multi-point lead for the remainder of the set, winning 25-17 following a late 5-1 run.
After dropping the third set’s first point, three EIU errors paved the way for a 6-1 Austin Peay State University run.
The Govs led by as many as eight points in the match’s subsequent set in which Moore’s six kills on 10 attacks led them to a 25-20 victory.
Six Govs posted two or more kills in the regular season’s final set as APSU held the Panthers to a .184 hitting percentage while posting a .227 mark themselves.
Moore’s 19 kills marks the 11th time she has posted 15 or more kills this season, while her .381 attack percentage is her fifth-highest mark.
Set-By-Set Austin Peay Against Eastern Illinois
The Governors jumped out to a 3-0 lead in Saturday’s inaugural set following Kaylah Jackson’s first of 10 kills in the match and back-to-back service aces by graduate student Caroline Waite. A kill by Brooke Moore followed by an EIU error gave APSU a 9-5 advantage later in the set and forced the Panthers to take their first timeout.
After a 17-13 APSU lead brought up the Panther’s final timeout, a 6-4 EIU run trimmed the Govs’ lead to two, while another kill by EIU’s Annika Black made it a one-point margin since its first score. Austin Peay State University took the lead following a 4-2 run powered by three kills by middle blocker, Maggie Keenan.
After leading early in the second set, the Governors allowed four-straight points, giving EIU a 13-11 lead and bringing up a timeout. The Panthers expanded their lead with a 20-15 advantage late and finished the set on a 5-2 run to tie the two teams at one set apiece.
Austin Peay State University led 7-2 early in the third set and held their largest lead of the night at 15-7. While the Panthers mounted a late comeback big to make it a three-point game at 20-17, the Govs retook their lead, winning 25-20.
APSU secured the win following a balanced scoring effort in a 25-23 third-set victory. After leading 20-15, the Govs fended off a late comeback by the Panthers that saw them cut their deficit to one at the second match-point.
Next Up For APSU Volleyball
With the regular season finished, Austin Peay State University looks ahead to the OVC Tournament hosted by Southeast Missouri (23-7, 14-4) in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. The Redhawks won a share of the regular-season title after winning both of their matches against Morehead State (18-11, 14-4).
The Governors will play Tennessee Tech (16-3, 11-7) at 10:00am, Thursday in the opening round of the OVC Tournament. The Govs and Golden Eagles split the regular-season series, October 8th-9th, in Cookeville.
The Austin Peay-Tennessee Tech winner will face the winner of Morehead State-Belmont match in a 3:00pm, Friday semifinal match. The championship match is slated for 6:00pm, Saturday.
Box Score
Austin Peay 3, Eastern Illinois 1
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F | |
Austin Peay | 25 | 17 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
Eastern Illinois | 21 | 25 | 20 | 23 | 1 |