Cookeville, Tenn. – The Green Bay Phoenix men’s volleyball team suffered a 3-2 loss to the Austin Peay Governors on Saturday night at the Eblen Center. After dropping the first two sets, the Phoenix rallied to win the next two before falling short in a nail‑biting fifth set, 15-13.
Match recap
Set 1: Austin Peay seized an early lead and held on for a 25-21 win, pulling ahead at 6-5 and weathering five ties before establishing control.
Set 2: The Governors extended their advantage with a 30-28 victory. The set featured three lead changes and was tied twelve times, with neither side ever leading by more than four points.
Set 3: Green Bay answered back, taking the set 25-20. The Phoenix broke the deadlock at 18-17 and captured seven of the final ten points to level the match.
Set 4: The Phoenix dominated, winning 25-9. Their attack efficiency rose to .364, while Austin Peay posted a negative .179 percentage, showcasing Green Bay’s offensive resurgence.
Set 5: The deciding set was a seesaw battle. Green Bay led 13-10 late, but Austin Peay rallied with a five‑point run to clinch the match 15-13.
Individual performances
Diane Pichelman led the Phoenix offense with a season‑high 18 kills and a .333 hitting percentage, also delivering a match‑high four aces. Olivia Neumann posted a career‑high 16 kills and contributed six blocks from the front row. Gillian Koning added 14 kills, while the back‑court trio of Macy Kline (15 digs), Alexa Hernandez (10 digs, 46 assists) and Alexis Gardner (10 digs) kept the ball in play. Green Bay out‑hit Austin Peay 0.184 to 0.129, underscoring the team’s balanced attack.
Looking ahead
The Phoenix will travel back to the Midwest next weekend for the Northwestern Invitational. They open the tournament on Friday at 4 p.m. against LIU, followed by matchups with Virginia Tech on Saturday and host Northwestern on Sunday. Coach [Name if available] expressed confidence that the team’s resilience after a tough loss will serve them well in the upcoming slate.
Fans in Cookeville can catch the next round of action at the Eblen Center, where the university continues to bring high‑level collegiate volleyball to the community.
Original reporting: Appleton, WI News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
