Austin Peay State University Beach Volleyball defeats Jacksonville State, UT Martin

Clarksville, TN – On an ice-cold weekend at the Govs Beach Volleyball Complex, Austin Peay State University’s beach volleyball team was red hot, finishing the Governors Beach Challenge 3-0 with Sunday wins over Jacksonville State, 4-1, and UT Martin, 3-2, to secure a perfect weekend.

Austin Peay (3-4) opened the day against Jacksonville State (0-4) and fell behind 1-0 when Karli Graham and Elizabeth Wheat dropped the No. 5 match in two sets. However, that was the last time the Governors would fall to the Gamecocks, with Maggie Keenan and Janvier Buggs getting the momentum back with a three-set win in the extension match.
 
The Govs got their first point of the match on the No. 4 line, with Caroline Waite and Erin Eisenhart taking down Jacksonville State’s Macie Garrison and Emily-Kate Lonergan in three sets. Austin Peay then took the lead in the match, 2-1, when Brooke Moore and Mikayla Powell picked up a quick two-set victory on the No. 2 line.
 
The No. 1 pairing of Marlayna Bullington and Kelsey Mead clinched the match for Austin Peay, winning handily over Jacksonville State’s Kylee Quigley and Claire Ochs to take a 3-1 advantage.

With the outcome already decided, Demi McInnis and Tegan Seyring picked up another win for the Govs, beating Peyton Pauze and Taylor Thomas in the No. 3 match to secure a 4-1 victory.

With one win in hand, the Governors fell behind against UT Martin (1-2) with Eisenhart and Waite dropping the No. 4 match and Graham and Wheat dropping the No. 5 match. Keenan and Jaida Clark were able to grab a two-set win in the extension match over the Skyhawks.

Needing to win all three matches left on the sand, the APSU Govs’ No. 1 pairing of Bullington and Mead recorded a workmanlike two-set victory over Karen Scanlon and Dylan Mott. The No. 2 match was the next to go final, with the Austin Peay State University duo of Moore and Powell winning in two sets over Hannah Phillips and Lucas Kambree.

With all but one point decided, the match came down to the No. 3 pairing, where McInnis and Seyring came back to win in three sets after dropping the first to UT Martin’s Haeleigh Paulino and Logan Wallick.

The Austin Peay State University beach volleyball team will take its three-match winning streak to the Ohio Valley Conference Weekend at Chattanooga. The Govs will play four conference matches at the Beach Volleyball Facility at the UTC Sports Complex, starting with an 8:00am match against Eastern Illinois and a 2:00pm match against Morehead State, Friday. On Saturday, the Governors wrap up the first conference weekend with a noon match against Chattanooga and a 4:00pm, match against Chattanooga.

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Governors Beach Challenge Results

Friday, March 11th

Austin Peay def. Carson-Newman, 5-0
Central Arkansas def. Jacksonville State, 5-0
Chattanooga def. Carson-Newman, 4-1
Central Arkansas def. UT Martin, 3-2
Carson-Newman def. Jacksonville State, 4-1
Austin Peay vs. UT Martin, Postponed

Saturday, March 12th

10:00 AM – Chattanooga vs. Central Arkansas, Canceled
11:30 AM – Austin Peay vs. Chattanooga, Canceled
1:00 PM – Carson-Newman vs. UT Martin, Canceled
2:30 PM – Austin Peay vs. Central Arkansas, Canceled
4:00 PM – UT Martin vs. Jacksonville State, Postponed

Sunday, March 13th

Austin Peay def. Jacksonville State, 4-1
UT Martin def. Jacksonville State, 5-0
Austin Peay def. UT Martin, 3-2