» By Daniel Newton
The Lady Govs’ volleyball team had an eventful week in their first two home games, dropping the first match against Jacksonville State, 3-1, on Friday, Sept. 21, and winning their first second game against Tennessee Tech, 3-1, on Saturday, Sept. 22.
Their first home game and OVC opener against JSU started with a bang.
Less than an hour before it was time to start the match, the power went out in the Dunn Center and forced the game to be moved to the Memorial Health Building, or the “Red Barn” as many students and alumni refer to it.
The match in the Red Barn was the first intercollegiate match played in the gym since 1983, which was also a volleyball game.
The game was close, but in the end JSU were able to pull out more close sets. APSU took an early 1-0 lead after overcoming a three-point deficit to take the set into overtime before winning, 32-30.
JSU was able to recover strongly and take the next three sets, 25-22, 25-20 and 25-23. They ended the final set on a 5-0 run to rally from a 23-20 deficit.
The Lady Gov’s were able to respond against Tennessee Tech later in the week, though.
After the power was fixed, APSU coasted past visiting TTU in the season’s first game in the Dunn Center.
It was a game that was not as close as the score suggests.
Except for the second set, which TTU took in overtime, 27-25, APSU kept the Golden Eagles from reaching 20 points in the other sets.
They took the first, third and fourth sets 25-19, 25-18 and 25-17 to give them their first OVC win, putting them at 7-10 for the season and 1-1 in conference play.
The weekend saw big play from outside hitters sophomore Jada Stotts and senior Nikki Doyle. Doyle recorded 29 kills over the weekend, and Doyle recorded 28 to help lift the Lady Govs.
The Lady Govs will start off a four game road trip in Murray, Ky. against rival Murray State on Tuesday, Sept. 25.
