KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Austin Peay State University’s volleyball team completed an unblemished stay in Kansas City by holding on for a five-set victory (29-27, 25-15, 22-25, 17-25, 15-10) against host UMKC, Saturday, in the final match of the Kangaroo Klassic at Swinney Recreation Center.
Austin Peay (3-0) opened by winning the first two sets for the first time in the tournament. However, the first set did not come easily as both teams fended off a pair of set points late in the frame. The Governors fended off a UMKC set point at 27-26 courtesy a Brooke Moore kill then earned the next two points to claim the set. The second went easier for the Govs as they led wire-to-wire to claim an early 2-0 lead.
UMKC (2-1) rallied from the two-set deficit with impressive offensive performances in both the third and fourth sets. Tyrecia Lukes hit six kills to pace the Kangaroos’ 16-kill performance in the third as they held on for a win. Emma Dyer would join the fray in the fourth, posting five kills to lead a 14-kill outing that saw UMKC pull away to win decisively.
But the Governors bounced back from seeing the match tied and took control of the tiebreaker fifth set right at the midway point. Austin Peay scored five points on Nina Korfhage’s turn on serve and tacked on another three with Cecily Gable at the line to build a 10-5 lead they would not relinquish.
Senior Cecily Gable set her career high with 19 kills in the match after tying the mark with 17 kills against both Western Michigan and South Dakota State. Her 53-kill performance in the tournament earned Gable “Most Valuable Player” honors.
Sophomore Brooke Moore added 14 kills and junior Jenna Panning chipped in 10 kills in the win. Senior Kristen Stucker finished the match with 47 assists while freshman Jaymeson Kinley registered an impressive 34 digs in the contest.
Lukes led UMKC with 25 kills and a .378 attack percentage. She had the bulk of the Kangaroos’ 62-kill outing.
Austin Peay will take the upcoming week to prepare for the MT Blue Raider Bash, next Friday and Saturday. The Governors open that tournament with a 7 p.m., Friday contest against host Middle Tennessee.
Courtesy of APSU Athletics