JACKSONVILLE – It took the Ohio Valley Conference leaders to hand JSU its first home loss in nine matches as Austin Peay came away with a 19-25, 25-27, 16-25 victory at Pete Mathews Coliseum on Sunday afternoon.
 
The Gamecocks (18-9, 4-4 OVC) were chasing their third-straight win over a top-four team in the league standings after wins over Belmont and Murray State. The Governors extended their conference lead with a 7-1 mark through the first half of the OVC schedule.
 
JSU struggled to get anything going hitting below .200 in two of three sets, while APSU hit above .300 in those same stanzas. Six-time OVC Setter of the Week, Kristen Stucker, dished 44 assists for the visitors, compared to JSU's 38 as a team.
 
Senior Charis Ludtke was the lone Gamecock to reach double figures with 13 kills on 33 swings. The Hamburg, Germany, native also matched junior Mackenzie Rombach with a team-high with four blocks. Rombach added seven kills with a .400 hitting clip.
 
In the opening set, APSU separated itself from a 10-9 score with a 4-0 run. JSU struggled to fight back from the five-point deficit the rest of the way, falling 25-19. The second set saw a much tighter battle down the stretch as the game tied at 18, 19, 21, 22, 23, 24 and 25 before ending in extra points. JSU was unable to string together enough plays to take the game in the end to even the match as APSU prevailed for a 2-0 lead.
 
The league-leading Governors proved their strength in the third taking a commanding 14-5 advantage out of the gate to take away JSU's chance at a comeback.
 
Jax State's tough slate doesn't end as the Gamecocks make the long trek to Illinois next weekend to face Eastern Illinois and SIU-Edwardsville.