TROY, Ala. – Austin Peay State University’s volleyball team came up on the short end of a blocking matchup, dropping a four-set (15-25, 18-25, 25-18, 21-25) decision to Valparaiso in its final match of the Trojan Invitational, Saturday, at Trojan Arena.
Austin Peay (3-4) put together its best blocking performance of the season with nine blocks against the Crusaders. Three of those blocks came in a third set that also saw the Govs offense post an impressive 21 kills and a .442 attack percentage to claim the set.
Valparaiso (4-2) consistently stifled the Governors offense with its blocking effort and finished with 14 stops, the most by an APSU opponent this season. Nine of those blocks came in the opening two sets as the Crusaders raced out to a two-set advantage and didn’t look back.
The Governors out-hit Valparaiso by a 56-52 margin in kills. However, the Crusaders were the more efficient squad, ending the game with a .281 attack percentage while the VU block held the Govs to a .195 attack percentage.
Slay led Austin Peay with 12 kills and added a season-best six blocks. Junior Christina White added an 11-kill, 10-dig double-double performance as did sophomore Kristen Stucker, who had 39 assists and a team-best 16 digs.
Emily Campbell led Valparaiso with 18 kills and seven blocks. Katherine Carlson added a 13-kill, 10-dig double-double effort.
Austin Peay returns to action when it opens up play at the Dunn Hospitality Invitational with a 7 p.m., Friday contest against host Evansville.