By MARLON SCOTT | Senior Staff Writer

After winning 2-of-3 matches at home including their first two Ohio Valley Conference matches of the season, the Lady Govs volleyball team went on the road to play two more OVC opponents.

The Lady Govs split the two conference matches. First, they defeated Tennessee Tech (25-13, 25-19, 27-25) in Cookeville, Friday, Sept. 24. Next, they were defeated by Jacksonville State (20-25, 25-19, 25-21, 17-25, 13-15) in Jacksonville, Ala., Saturday, Sept. 25.

According to APSU Sports Information, Lady Govs head coach Haley Janicek said defense was the key to the win against Tennessee Tech.

“We served (Tennessee Tech) really aggressively. We were able to get them out of their system offensively,” Janicek said. “It kept their hitters from getting good looks. Also, our defense really did the job. It was by far one of our best nights blocking and playing defense.”

The Lady Govs produced 50 digs and six blocks against Tennessee Tech. The Golden Eagles produced only 29 kills and were held to a .084 attack percentage. Lady Gov senior Sarah Alisaleh and junior Paige Economos both produced 13 digs.

Offensively, junior Nikki Doyle led the team with 14 kills. The Lady Govs had no problem winning the first two sets. However, Tennessee Tech put up a fight in the third set. The two teams tied 10 times.

The last tie was 25-25 on a kill by Tennessee Tech’s Leah Meffert. Afterwards, Lady Gov junior Ilyanna Hernandez put the set and match away with two straight kills assisted by Alisaleh.

With three OVC wins, the Lady Govs went to Jacksonville State looking to make it 4-0. Instead, the Gamecocks gave the Lady Govs their first conference loss.

Janicek told APSU Sports Information her team lost because of inconsistency.

“I believed we played inconsistently today. We missed a lot of serves and didn’t pressure their passing the way we did (at Tennessee Tech) last night,” Janicek said.

It took five sets to determine a winner between the two teams. The Gamecocks took set one with a 6-1 run in the end. The Lady Govs responded with a strong second set, winning 25-19.

With momentum, the Lady Govs took a 10-5 lead in the third set. They held on to take that set 25-21.

The Lady Govs led 7-6 in the fourth set before the Gamecocks took over with a 13-2 run. The run proved too much for the Lady Govs to overcome and the Gamecocks won, forcing a fifth set.

The Lady Govs fell behind 2-0 in the final set and were unable to tie or take a lead the rest of the set. The Lady Govs last kill was courtesy of senior Taylor skinner. It was followed by a Gamecock attack error that brought the Lady Govs within one point of the Gamecocks, 14-13.

However, the Lady Govs could not finish the rally.

“Offensively, we played our type of volleyball in the second and third sets, but we didn’t show up in the fourth. We almost had the fifth set tied 14-14, but couldn’t get the point we needed” Janicek said.

Senior Jessica Mollman and Doyle both produced 15 kills against the Gamecocks. Hernandez added 11. Skinner had five bocks and Economos hit the floor for 24 digs.

With a 3-1 OVC record (12-3 overall), the Lady Govs are currently ranked fourth in the OVC.
Next, the Lady Govs return home to the Dunn Center to play Southeast Missouri Friday, Oct. 1. TAS

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