Murray State University Athletics
Murray State
Austin Peay
Mugler Tallies Her 1,000th Kill in the Racers? 3-2 come-from-behind victory at Austin Peay
10/3/2008 5:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
The
“It was an unbelievable win,” said head coach David Schwepker. “I was not expecting the outcome and I'm sure that APSU wasn't either.”
Senior Alison Mugler proved to be the catalyst that sent MSU to the fifth and deciding set, as she broke a 4-4 tie with her 1,000th career kill to give the Racers the lead for good in the fourth set. Mugler needed nine kills heading into tonight's match and finished the night with 13 kills, 15 digs, and a career-high four assists.
“It is exciting for her and our program,” said David Schwepker. “It is especially exciting since it came at a key moment in the match. I am really happy for her because she did a good job overall tonight and that is what she needs to do day-in and day-out for us.”
Freshman Logan Su led the team with 19 kills and five total blocks. Sophomore Becca Lamb was the third member on the MSU roster to garner double-digits in the kill's column with 16.
Defensively the Racers were led by rookie Kayleah Sauer, who tallied the team's first 30+ dig performance on the season. Sauer recorded 32 digs and added one of the team's three service aces.
The Lady Govs (11-6, 3-2 OVC) opened the first set with a 5-2 run and never allowed the Racers to get closer the rest of the set. APSU slowly pushed the lead to six before MSU closed the gap to four (18-14). The Lady Govs then took back control of the momentum and used a 7-3 run, including a 5-0 mark at the start of the run, to take the set victory 25-17.
The second set started out close before Austin Peay went on a 4-0 run to take a 9-5 advantage on the scoreboard. The Lady Govs pushed their lead to eight (18-10) before the Racers started to close the gap with a 5-1 run. The Racers kept surging and tied the set at 22 before APSU finished the set with a 3-0 run to earn a 2-0 advantage in the match.
A renewed team came out of the lockerroom for MSU after the 10-minute intermission, as it started the set with a 5-2 run and never allowed the Lady Govs to get any closer the rest of the set.
The Racers started the fourth set with a 4-1 run, but then allowed APSU to tie the set at four. Mugler then recorded her 1,000th career kill down the line to start MSU on a 4-0 run to push the score to 8-4 in favor of the Racers.
The Lady Govs then fought back to tie the set at 10 with a 6-2 run before MSU pulled back out to a four-point lead (14-10). Again APSU did not let the Racers take the set quietly and tied the set at 16. However, the Racers did not let the Lady Govs take an advantage on the score board and surged ahead with a 5-0 run. APSU tried to start a late push with a 3-1 run, but MSU earned the 25-20 win on one of the Racers five total blocks in the set.
The Lady Govs regained the momentum and started out the deciding set with an 8-3 advantage before the team's switched sides. MSU then started a 3-1 run to get within three points of APSU (9-6). The Lady Govs extended their lead to six points and it looked like they would earn the set victory, but the Racers pushed back with a 6-0 run and tied the set at 14 to force extra points. The team's then traded serves until MSU went on a 2-0 run to with two kills from Su to earn the victory, 18-16.
Blocking seemed to be the key to victory, as the Racers combined for 11 total team blocks to only four by the Lady Govs. All four of APSU's blocks came in the first two sets, while MSU increased its blocks in each of the first four sets from one to two to five.
“After we lost the second set I told the team that we needed to concentrate on blocking,” added Schwepker. “I think that it forced Austin Peay off their game.”
The Racers will continue their road trip with a 2 p.m. against
Notes: This was the fourth five-set match of the season for the Racers...MSU is now 2-2 in five-set matches...it was also the fourth-straight five-set match against Austin Peay when playing in Clarksville, Tenn....the Racers are 3-1 in those matches and have won the last three.
