Story By MARLON SCOTT | Senior Staff Writer

The Lady Govs volleyball team opened their season on the road in Starkville, Miss., at the MSU Maroon Classic, Friday, August 27, and Saturday, August 28. In addition to being on the road, they were also facing a team coached by their former coach, Jenny Hazelwood.

The Lady Govs finished the weekend 3-1, the single loss to Hazelwood’s Mississippi State squad.

After what they described as an excellent preseason, the Lady Govs were confident as they headed into the season opener.

“We’re going to do well and we are going to play our hearts out,” senior Jessica Mollman said. “I have total confidence in my team that we will succeed this weekend.”

With that confidence, the Lady Govs marched through Montana 3-0 (25-12, 25-20, 25-23). Lady Gov sophomore outside hitter Nikki Doyle produced 15 kills in the match. Junior outside hitter Ilyanna Hernandez added eight kills and senior middle blocker Taylor Skinner produced six. Skinner also led the team defensively with four blocks.

After sweeping Montana, the Lady Govs could not finish against Mississippi State. They loss in three straight sets (19-25, 22-25, 23-25). The last two losses were by three or fewer points. Doyle continued her barrage with 11 kills. Mollman produced nine kills off the bench and Hernandez added eight.

On day two, the Lady Govs bounced back to defeat both Arkansas-Little Rock and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. They served well against both teams producing 27 serving aces (15 against Arkansas-Little Rock, 12 against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi). The team finished the tournament with 37 total aces.

After dropping the first set against Arkansas-Little Rock, the Lady Govs powered through the next two. But Arkansas-Little Rock did not roll over. It took five sets for the Lady Govs to win the match (21-25, 25-15, 25-20, 23-25, 15-8). Doyle was one of four Lady Govs with double-digit kills. She produced 19 kills and Skinner and Ilyanna produced 15. Junior outside hitter Kayla Grantham added 10 kills.

The Lady Govs ended the day and the tournament with another three-set sweep of Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (25-22, 25-12, 25-17).

Doyle added 15 more kills for a total of 60 kills for the tournament. Skinner finished the tournament with nine blocks, bringing her career total over 200. She is only the seventh Lady Gov in the programs history to produce over 200 blocks.

By MARLON SCOTT | Senior Staff Writer

When looking at the Lady Govs 2010 volleyball team from the outside, it is hard to ignore what is missing.

Last season the Lady Govs earned a 22-8 regular season record, their second 20-win season in a row, with OVC Player of the Year Stephanie Champine and new head coach Mike Johnson.

This season, both of those people are gone.

With these missing pieces in mind, the rest of the OVC’s coaches and sports information directors, looking from the outside, picked the 2010 Lady Govs to finish sixth in the preseason poll.

However, new head coach Haley Janicek and the three seniors on the team — Jessica Mollman, Taylor Skinner and Sarah Alisaleh — are on the inside and excited about what they see.

Janicek is the third Lady Govs volleyball coach in three years. Last season she was Johnson’s assistant coach. According to APSU Sports Information, Janicek was not surprised about the team’s preseason ranking.

“The sixth seed ranking was expected after losing our senior class. It speaks very highly of them and how important they were to our success,” Janicek said. “However, we had an incredibly productive spring and got better across the board. Our staff is extremely encouraged and has full confidence that our team will be successful this fall.”

Expected to lead the team in their success are seniors Skinner, Mollman and Taylor. Each has been with the team through all the coaching changes and agreed this last one has not slowed any of the team’s momentum heading into the season.

“It was actually easier to transition from Mike to Haley than it was from coach Hazelwood to Mike because the system is still the same. The offense, defense, everything is still the same, just a new coach,” Alisaleh said. “As a team we are buying into her. We are excited and behind her all the way,” Skinner said.

Alisaleh and Mollman received All-OVC recognition last year. Alisaleh is the team’s leader in assists and is currently ranked third all time in the category. Skinner was second on the team last season with 33 serving aces. Both she and Mollman will start this season with 193 blocks. Only six players in school history have produced more than 200 career blocks.

All three seniors agree the team has had an excellent preseason. They are looking forward to playing in the first tournament of the regular season, the MSU Maroon Classic held in Starkville, Miss. The tournament’s host is coached by Lady Govs former coach Jenny Hazelwood.

“We have actually had the best preseason yet, I think. In all four years this is the best preseason we have had,” Alisaleh said. “Everyone has actually meshed together really well. Even our freshmen are catching on.”

Mollman is looking forward to facing her old coach.

“We worked harder and we worked smarter, so I am really excited,” Mollman said. “It’s definitely going to be a good match. There will be some feelings in there, some emotion. It’s going to feel good either way just to play her, see where she’s at. It’s cool that she gets to see where we are at too.”

Regardless of the storylines associated with all the new changes, the seniors said the team is focused on winning.

“I think everyone has high expectations and we have an extra drive to win this year,” Alisaleh said. TAS

Senior defensive tackle Dee Peeler celebrates after a defensive stop against Jacksonville State Oct. 31. Peeler was named All-OVC second team ans was credited 30 tackles this season.

Junior Taylor Skinner goes up for the kill against the Tennessee State defender Sept. 18. Skinner and her teammates had a successful season finishing second in the OVC regular season 22-9 overall record

Captain Hannah Jones attempts to make a play during the game against Eastern Kentucky, Sept.27. The Lady Govs struggled all season and remained winless in the OVC. Their one win was against Cumberland University, Sept. 1.

Sophomore Ryan White breaks through the whole for positive yardage against Jacksonville State on Oct. 31. White was a huge part of the Govs’ offensive rush strategy, gaining 1,081 yards during the season with an average of 4.7 yards per carry. White was named to the First Team All-OVC and helped the Govs to a 4-7 record.

All Photos by Lois Jones | Senior Photographer

Lady Govs volleyball head coach Mike Johnson inherited a talented team that exceeded expectations last season.

Not only did the team go from the bottom of the Ohio Valley Conference to tie for third place in one season, they also posted their best record since 1999 and entered the OVC Volleyball Tournament for the first time since 2005.

What did Johnson do in his first head coaching job with this team?

He helped the Lady Govs achieve even more success.

The Lady Govs finished the 2009 season with the second best regular season record in program history (22-8).

They also improved to a second place finish in the OVC which gave them a first round bye in the OVC Volleyball Tournament.

The improvement did not go unnoticed. For the first time, three Lady Govs received All OVC honors in the same season.

Senior outside hitter Stephanie Champine was named the OVC Player of the Year.

She is one of only three Lady Govs all-time to earn the title. Connie Caldwell earned the honor in 1987 and Isabel Canedo received the honor in 1992.

Champine was also named first-team All-OVC with her teammate, junior setter Sarah Alisaleh. Junior middle blocker Jessica Mollman was named second-team All-OVC.

According to APSU Sports Information, Johnson was pleased with his team’s recognition.

“When I first met this team back in March, there was a prevailing sentiment the other coaches in the OVC didn’t respect the athletes of Austin Peay as much as they perhaps should have,” Johnson said. “My challenge to them was to simply worry about getting better each day and the fringe benefits such as All-Conference awards would come. Our team has taken that mind set to heart, and I’m proud of the gains we have made. I am so very happy for all the Lady Govs. These are team honors and Champ, Sarah and Jess would be the first to tell you that.”

With regular season success and OVC accolades, the Lady Govs traveled to Jacksonville, Ala., Friday, Nov. 20, to face the Morehead State Eagles in the semifinal round of the OVC Volleyball Tournament.

The Lady Govs had swept the Eagles in the regular season. Their last match was a 3-1 win in Morehead, Ky. But the results in the tournament did not reflect the regular season matches.

The Lady Govs lost to the Eagles 2-3 (25-21, 25-22, 23-25, 21-25, 15-12) and finished their season in the semifinal round of the OVC Volleyball Tournament for the second year in a row.

An ace served by Paige Economos followed by two Eagle attack errors helped the Lady Govs start the first set with a 6-1 run. However, an Eagles rally made the score 9-8 and forced the Lady Govs to take a time out.

After the time out the two teams battled to a 13-13 tie. Then errors started creeping into the Lady Govs game. The Eagles took advantage and the first set 25-21.

The Eagles continued to soar in the second set. They grabbed an early lead and never let the Lady Govs take over. Down 15-19, the Lady Govs fought to within one point, 21-22. However, they still could not ground the Eagles and fell behind two sets.

After a break, the Lady Govs showed they were not ready to go home yet. In the most competitive set of the match, the two teams tied 11 times. The last tie was 18-18 when the Lady Govs took control with a 5-2 run that made the score 23-20. The Eagles would get within one point before Mollman put the set away with a kill after an Eagle service error.

Economos served three straight aces in the fourth set to give the Lady Govs a 15-12 lead.

With their backs against the wall, the Lady Govs reminded the Eagles who dominated the regular season meetings. They maintained the lead and set the stage for a tie breaking fifth set.

An ugly start to the fifth set had the Lady Govs behind 5-10. But four straight points, including two kills by Champine, brought the Lady Govs within one point, 9-10. One point would be as close as the Lady Govs could get. Despite their best efforts, the Lady Govs could not keep the Eagles from flying away with the fifth set win.

Champine, the Lady Govs regular season lead killer, had a tough match. She produced 18 total kills in addition to 11 errors. Mollman made seven kills and seven blocks. Taylor Skinner led the team with eight kills and no errors for a .500 attack percentage.

The Lady Govs produced 52 total kills with a .113 attack percentage, their lowest since the beginning of the regular season.
Champine was named to the All-Tournament team.

The Lady Govs volleyball team gave their seniors a few gifts, including some revenge on senior day, Saturday, Nov. 14.

Seniors Stephanie Champine, Kirstin Distler and Marisa Jordan got to celebrated with their teammates in the Dunn Center after they swept the Murray Racers 3-0 (25-14, 27-25, 25-20).

The Racers dealt the Lady Govs one of only three OVC losses this season on Oct. 16. However, they did not have the gas to stop the Lady Govs from crossing the finish line first this time.

The win was the third in a row for the Lady Govs and places them second in the OVC at the end of the regular season with a 22-8 (15-3 OVC) record. It was also the end of Mike Johnson’s first year as a volleyball head coach.

“I think the thing that stands out the most was how much fun it was to work with these kids,” Johnson said. “It was fun for them. It was fun walking into the gym everyday for practice. I hope they enjoyed it as much as I did.”

The Racers did not have any fun in the first set of the match.

They were out of sync early and the Lady Govs took full advantage. They established an early 9-4 lead, forcing the Racers to take a time out.

But the break did not help, and the Lady Govs marched easily to a 25-14 win.

The Racers recovered in the first set to fight hard in the second set. The second set duel included 14 ties. The last tie of the set was 25-25 and the Racers had the serve. Kayla Grantham ended the Racers possession with a kill for the Lady Govs that made the score 26-25.

Grantham served an ace to win the set. Grantham produced six aces in the match.

She was one of six different Lady Govs that produced 15 total aces against the Racers.

The third set appeared to be another close battle.

The two teams fought to a 6-6 tie. However, Champine made a booming kill to give the Lady Govs a lead they would not relinquish.

Champine put in an impressive day’s work with 17 kills and four aces in the match. She and Taylor Skinner combined for a block that gave the Lady Govs the 25-20 win.

Before looking ahead to the OVC tournament, three Lady Govs had to say goodbye to the court in the Dunn Center.

Champine leaves the Lady Govs, after leading the team in kills for the second year in a row.

Distler played for the Lady Govs all four years of her college career. Jordan joined the team with Champine in the 2008-09 season.

The seniors will enjoy some postseason play when they travel to Jacksonville, Ala., Friday, Nov. 20.

The Lady Govs earned a first round bye with a second place regular season finish. They will play in the Semifinal round of the 2009 OVC Championship Tournament against a yet to be named opponent.

However, they do not want to stop there.

“It’s always been our goal to go to the NCAA Tournament,” Johnson said. “I think if we meet our capabilities, its in reach, we can do it. But we are going to have to come to play. I hope we do.”

The term kill in volleyball means an attack that results in an immediate point or side out. It is important to note because the Lady Govs are stone cold killers.

Under the direction of new head coach Mike Johnson, the Lady Govs have been killing indiscriminately. The latest victims were the Eastern Kentucky Lady Colonels.
Saturday, Oct. 31, at McBrayer Arena in Richmond, Ky., the Lady Govs produced 58 kills and defeated the Lady Colonels 3-1 (25-22, 20-25, 25-9, 25-18).

The match in Richmond was the second stop of an important five-match road trip the Lady Govs started in Morehead, Ky., Friday, Oct. 30.

The win was the Lady Govs’ sixth straight against a Lady Colonels team who had posted a 6-1 record at home.

According to APSU Sports Information, Johnson had positive things to say about his players after the match.

“We had great offensive balance today,” Johnson said. “It was great to see both Jessica Mollman and Taylor Skinner come alive. Eastern Kentucky played tremendous defense and it took a lot of tenacity to keep pressure on them. The score didn’t do this contest justice. The third and fourth sets were close until Kayla Grantham broke it open with her serve.”

Although Mollman led the way with 13 kills in the match, several of the Lady Govs were responsible for the carnage against the Lady Colonels. Five different Lady Govs produced 10 or more kills in the match.

The first set was a hard fought battle with 12 ties and eight lead changes. The last tie was 22-22 when Skinner made one of her 11 total kills of the match to give the Lady Govs a 23-22 lead and the serve.

Afterwards, the Lady Govs scored three straight points. The set winner was an ace served by junior setter Sarah Alisaleh.

Refusing to go down easy at home, the Lady Colonels responded strongly in the second set.

After establishing a 17-9 lead, the Lady Colonels did not relinquish it the rest of the set. The Lady Govs got within two points before being put away 25-20.

It was the Lady Govs turn to take control in the third set. They established dominance early with an opening 8-3 run.

Later, back-to-back service aces by Grantham made the score 20-8. Senior outside hitter Stephanie Champine put the Lady Colonels out of their misery with a kill that sealed the 25-9 win.

The Lady Colonels did not go away quietly in the fourth set.

They battled to a 14-14 tie, but Champine gave the Lady Govs the lead with another kill. Champine produced 11 total kills in the match. The Lady Colonels were within two points, 16-18, when the Lady Govs went on a 6-1 run that included two more aces by Grantham. Mollman finished the set and match with her 13th kill.The win at EKU improved the Lady Govs OVC record to 12-2. The Lady Colonels fell to 5-8.

As of press time, Monday, Nov. 2, the 12-2 record placed the Lady Govs second in the OVC overall behind Jacksonville State who have yet to be defeated in the OVC (14-0).

The Lady Govs’ road trip will come to an end Saturday, Nov. 7, in Cookeville, against Tennessee Tech. They defeated Tennessee Tech 3-0 at home earlier this season.

After the road trip, the Lady Govs will get a needed rest before finishing the season with two matches at home. First they will try to sweep Tennessee Martin this season, 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 13, in the Dunn Center.

Then they will finish the season against Murray State at 2 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 14. Murray State was the last team to defeat the Lady Govs on the road, Friday, Oct. 16.

With just two more victories, the Lady Govs will finish with a better regular season record than last year. They plan on killing their way to the 2009 OVC Championship Tournament Thursday, Nov. 19.