APSU Govs volleyball team (6-1) travelled to Birmingham, Ala. to compete in the Blazer Invitational starting on Friday, Sept. 1. The Lady Govs recorded three wins in the tournament, against Georgia State (25-23, 27-25, 17-25, 23-25, 15-13), Alabama at Birmingham (25-20, 22-25, 32-30, 25-17) and Western Illinois (25-12, 25-15, 25-17).
According to letsgopeay.com, the Govs took the first two sets from Georgia State; however, the second set was pushed into overtime. When the Panthers rallied back, Georgia State was able to win the third and fourth sets, which led to the tie breaking fifth.
APSU took a 10-7 lead, but the Panthers fought back after a kill from Sydney Stroud put Georgia State ahead at 12-13. On the other side of the ball, APSU senior Ashley Slay had two kills that gave the Govs an advantage. A service ace from senior Allie O’Reilly end the set and secured the win for APSU.
The Govs then faced the host of the tournament, UAB. In this four-set victory, Slay had a 27-kill outing, which was one of the best in program history.
Another standout was freshman Brooke Moore, who had a 14-kill performance. Moore stood out by not committing a single error on her final 25 swings against UAB.
The Govs final opponent of the weekend was Western Illinois on Saturday, Sept. 2. APSU took the win in three sets (25-12, 25-15, 25-17). The win put the Lady Govs at 3-0 for weekend and allowed them to win the Blazer Invitational. Slay, Kristen Stucker, and Christina White were all named to the all-tournament team.
White stood out against Western Illinois with an impressive offensive performance of 15 kills and a .414 attack percentage.
The Govs next tournament is the Ole Miss Classic in Oxford, Miss. On Thursday, September 7th, APSU will take on Ole Miss (4-3) at 7 pm. APSU will also compete against Mercer (3-2) and Northwestern State (3-4) in the tournament.
