CLARKSVILLE, TENN. – Queens volleyball earned its third win in four matches Sunday afternoon, taking down Austin Peay in four sets (25–21, 17–25, 25–22, 25–14) inside the Winfield Dunn Center. The Royals improved to 15–8 overall and 6–4 in ASUN play, while the Governors dropped to 4–18 and 2–8 in the league.
Queens posted 53 kills on .233 hitting and limited Austin Peay to a .145 clip. The Royals also tallied 12 blocks, 63 digs, and three aces, overcoming a sluggish second set with a dominant finish.
Elizabeth Layson led the attack with 17 kills on .333 hitting, matching her season high, while Ellis Sargent continued her hot streak with 14 kills on a .438 mark and two blocks. Emma Norris added seven kills and a team-high seven blocks, and Camryn Teasley chipped in six kills with three blocks.
Setters Tyler Peluso and Megan Kelly combined for 31 assists, with Peluso also serving two aces and recording six digs. Tilley Collins anchored the back row with 12 digs, and Mia McMillen posted 18 digs and four kills, contributing all over the floor.
After a balanced opening set win, Austin Peay responded in the second to even the match, taking advantage of Queens' seven attack errors. The Royals regrouped in the third behind a late 5–1 push capped by a Sargent kill to claim the frame 25–22. Queens then closed emphatically, hitting .243 and holding the Governors to -.049 in a 25–14 clincher.
"Layson has been unreal this week. You know, averaging four kills a set is pretty crazy and ridiculous," Head Coach Matt Stolz said. "She really was able to take over both matches and had the confidence to go up in big moments, even when everyone in the gym knew it was going to her.
Sarge has once again done an incredible job — now three matches in a row where she hasn't made a single hitting error. It's been really impressive to see her connection with our offense and how important she is. I'm very excited that she is continuing to play at a really high clip.
I think our servers did a really good job today. They stepped up in big moments. I don't think it was easy because Austin Peay was serving really tough and put a lot of pressure on us, but they did a great job responding to tough moments. Especially after that set-two disaster, they came back and really executed at a high level. I'm happy to see the team striving to be great every single play."
Queens finished with 53 kills, 49 assists, and 12 team blocks to Austin Peay's 47 kills and 13 blocks. The Royals return to Charlotte next weekend to continue ASUN play inside Curry Arena.
UP NEXT
Queens heads back home for a Friday matchup against FGCU on Halloween.
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