By Katherine Jamtgaard. ATHENS, OHIO — The App State volleyball team opened the season with a gritty, five-set thriller against Xavier (24-26, 25-19, 21-25, 25-17, 15-11) Friday morning before falling short to Wright State in three sets (18-25, 24-26, 13-25) on the first day of the Bobcat Invitational.
App State 3, Xavier 2
Junior Maya Winterhoff led the charge against the Musketeers with a team-high 16 kills, three aces, and five blocks (four assists, one solo). She also recorded a hitting percentage of .536. In her collegiate debut, freshman Maddie Smith matched senior Lulu Ambrose with 12 kills apiece and made six digs. Freshman Julianna Horta also had an impressive debut, recording 29 assists and seven digs, while fellow setter and redshirt junior Addison Heidemann recorded 23 assists and eight digs. Junior Kenady Roper led the team in digs, with 26. App State had 62 kills compared to Xavier’s 59, to go along with 58 assists to the Musketeers’ 55.
The Mountaineers came out hot in the first set, establishing a 6-0 lead before Xavier managed to catch up late in the set at 17 all. As Xavier pulled ahead, App State managed to tie things up at 23-23 with a kill from Smith and a block from the duo of freshman Bella Hutchens and Winterhoff. The visitors held Xavier to a set point with a kill from Winterhoff, but the Musketeers managed to take the first set, 26-24.
It was Xavier’s turn to jump to an early lead in the second set, but the Mountaineers were quick to meet the Musketeers at 10 all after back-to-back kills from freshman Elise Marchal and Smith. Building off of a 4-0 run that featured a kill and a pair of aces from Winterhoff, App State took a 19-14 lead. Sophomore Ava Leahy slammed down a pair of kills to extend the lead to 21-17. App State secured the second set, 25-19, with a late 3-0 run.
App State and Xavier battled through a close third set, fighting for each point and not allowing for more than three points in a run, until Xavier found its footing, jumping ahead 18-12 after five consecutive points. Despite this, the Mountaineers chipped away at the deficit, coming back within one point (21-20) before Xavier pushed forward, 24-20. Marchal mustered one last kill before Xavier took the set, 25-21.
The fourth set started off closely matched as the teams traded the lead until the Mountaineers met Xavier at 12 all. Finding momentum, App State went on a 9-0 run that included kills from Winterhoff, Ambrose, and graduate student Cierra Huntley, to jump ahead, 20-12. A kill from Leahy, an ace from Horta, and a kill from Huntley brought the Mountaineers to set point. Marchal made the final kill to seal the fourth set, 25-17, and push for a fifth.
Early in the fifth and final set, App State edged ahead, 6-3, after kills from Smith and Winterhoff. Xavier managed to take a 10-7 lead, but couldn’t hold on, as the Mountaineers earned five consecutive points that included a kill from Ambrose, a block from Marchal and Leahy, and an ace from Horta. Back-to-back kills from Leahy and a Xavier error sealed the Mountaineers’ victory as they took the set, 15-11, and the match, 3-2.
Wright State 3, App State 0
In App State’s second match of the day, Winterhoff led the Mountaineers with 11 kills, while Horta led the team in assists with 13. Roper recorded a team-high 13 digs against Wright State, as well as the Mountaineers’ sole ace of the match.
Wright State took a commanding lead in the first set after an early 9-0 scoring run. Despite closing the gap to 19-14 with a pair of 3-0 runs that included kills from Marchal, Winterhoff, and Smith as well as Roper’s service ace, the Raiders managed to take the set, 25-18.
The Mountaineers took a 7-3 lead early in the second set before battling point for point with Wright State, meeting at 15 all. Wright State took a 20-17 edge, but Smith brought the Black and Gold back within one with two consecutive kills. A block from Hutchens and Winterhoff, in addition to a kill from each, and a Raiders’ error brought App State to set point. Wright State mustered three points to edge past the Mountaineers, 26-24.
The Mountaineers were held to 13 points in the third set as Wright State took the set, 25-23, and the match, 3-0. Winterhoff landed five of the Mountaineers’ seven kills as well as a solo block during the set, while Smith and Ambrose each contributed a kill.
Looking Ahead
The Mountaineers will close out competition at the Bobcat Invitational with a 1 p.m. clash against the host, Ohio, on Saturday. The match will be available to stream on ESPN+.
