The APSU Lady Govs volleyball team (5-12, 0-2 Ohio Valley Conference) start 0-2 in conference play for the first time under commanding head coach Taylor Mott.
The Lady Govs chased their opponent, Southeast Missouri Lady Redhawks, throughout the match.
They had few answers for the explosive Lady Redhawks power, losing three sets to one (21-25, 13-25, 25-20, 19-25).
At the gate, both teams were exchanging blows and changed leads three different times.
A back and forth first set saw ten ties, and APSU eventually succumbed to the Lady Redhawks aggression as they took over with a 4-0 run mid-way through the first set.
The Lady Redhawks continued their dominance when they took a 2-0 set lead; only briefly shifting momentum when the Lady Govs seemed to catch their second wind and steal the third set.
The Lady Redhawks recorded at least 14 kills in each of the three sets it won exposing the Lady Govs’ defense that was simply unprepared to handle such an onslaught.
The third set was the one and only breakthrough for the Lady Govs as they held the Lady Redhawks to nine kills and a .167 attack percentage.
Conversely, APSU swatted their way to a match high .229 attack percentage, combined with 14 kills. The set previewed 13 ties and six lead changes.
Trailing late in the set 19-18, the Lady Govs wrestled control when they ripped off five straight points to claim the set.
Sophomore Ashely Slay led APSU with 14 kills and played a role in all three of the Lady Govs’ net-line blocks with a team best .333 attack percentage.
Senior Samantha Strother returned to the starting lineup posting a respectable 13 kills and a .270 attack percentage.
“We were better than last night [at UT Martin] but still not where we need to be,” Mott said. “We struggled in serve receive and that made it tough to run our offense,” according to letsgopeay.com.
The Lady Govs return to the court Saturday, Oct. 3 when they travel to Morehead, KY. to face OVC opponent Morehead State.
