CLARKSVILLE, TENN. - Lipscomb volleyball ended their three-game ASUN road slate Wednesday night with a 3-1 (19-25, 25-13, 25-19, 25-17) win over Austin Peay in Clarksville, improving to 8-5 overall and 3-0 in conference play. The Bisons dropped the opening set, but a dominant 25-13 second set win shifted the momentum the Bisons' way, which they held to close the match. 

The Bisons finished with 56 kills and hit .294 as a club for the match while holding Austin Peay to .182 percent hitting. They also totaled 43 digs and seven blocks on the defensive side.  Jada DiVita led with 13 kills followed by Courtney Jones who had 11 and Meg Mersman would ended with 10. Delaney Smith compiled 17 digs on the night to spearhead their defensive effort. 

Set 1:

Austin Peay capitalized on the Bisons' slow start to set one. Austin Peay led most of the set, but Lipscomb found life as the frame wound down, eventually taking a 19-16 lead. Kills throughout the middle of the set from the Bisons' hitters got them to that point, but they couldn't string any more points offensively late. The Govs scored the set final nine points for a 25-19 final, giving Austin Peay a 1-0 lead. Austin Peay applied the pressure in the opening frame as they were on the attack for 60% of set one compared to just 45% for the Bisons. Lipscomb also hit .111 and had seven attack errors. 

Set 2:

After trading points to start set two, Lipscomb created a lead partly due to effective net play from their front line. Meg Mersman showed up often on the stat sheet in the set, which helped the Bisons maintain a lead and be on the attack. Jada DiVita picked up where Mersman left off with her powerful swing to add to the Bisons' lead. The Bisons proved too much to handle in set two and earned a bounce-back set two win to level the score. Lipscomb hit an impressive .625 in the frame with 18 kills and only three attack errors.

Set 3:

Lipscomb took an early lead in set three, but Austin Peay got some points to go their way to even the score at 11 midway through. Two aces from Jade Zaleski sparked a run for the Bisons, which resulted in an 18-14 advantage, leading to Govs timeout. Austin Peay would reach as close as three, but Lipscomb won the set 25-19, controlling the tail end of the frame. The Bisons won the frame on the defensive side, holding the home-team Govs to a .037 hitting percentage. 

Set 4:

Lipscomb jumped off to another early advantage in set four, racking up several points on service aces during the spurt. Lipscomb continued to run their set pieces effectively and kept Austin Peay from scraping back into the contest. They executed when they needed to down the stretch, which led to a 25-17 win and a 3-1 match final. 

COACH ROSENTHAL POSTGAME: 

Up Next:
Lipscomb will return home for three straight matches starting Saturday, Sept. 30, as they host North Florida at 6:00 p.m. CT.