By Katherine Jamtgaard for App State Sports. NORFOLK, Va. – The App State volleyball team defeated Old Dominion, 3-1 (25-21, 25-14, 23-25, 25-13) on Saturday in Norfolk Va. The Mountaineers improve to 14-9 (7-5 SBC) on the season.
“I’m really proud of the response we had today and the adjustments we were able to make,” said head coach Sarah Rumely Noble. “We played really well collectively as a team and were determined to get it done today.”
Match Details
Sophomore Lulu Ambrose led the charge against the Monarchs, notching 13 kills on the afternoon. Junior Sophie Cain led the team in aces with a season high of six, and freshman Maya Winterhoff held the team-high in blocks with five. Senior Sam Bickley and Cain held the team-high in assists, posting 23 apiece. Freshman Alyssa McBean led the Mountaineers in the digs category with 19. Senior McCall Denny earned a double-double with 12 kills and 13 digs, the second-most on the team in both categories.
App State led ODU in points (78-45), kills (58-38), aces (12-2), blocks (8-5), assists (57-35), and digs (76-67).
In the first set, the Mountaineers took an early 4-1 lead after kills from Denny, junior Meghan Dombrowski, Winterhoff, and another kill from Denny. The Black and Gold’s momentum continued with five consecutive points that included a pair of aces from Cain and a block by Denny and Winterhoff, which made the score 9-2 in App State’s favor. ODU attempted to catch up to the Black and Gold with a 5-0 run of their own, cutting the Mountaineers’ lead to 16-15, but the Mountaineers steadily built off their lead until they were ahead 22-19. App State closed out the first set, 25-21, with a 3-0 run consisting of a pair of ODU errors and an ace from freshman Kenady Roper.
The Black and Gold’s momentum carried into the second set, as they went on an impressive 7-0 run to take an 8-2 lead. The 7-0 run included kills from Dombrowski and Winterhoff, a pair of kills from Denny, a pair of aces from Cain, and a block from the duo of Denny and Winterhoff. The Mountaineers later went on to score six consecutive points, which included a kill from Cain and a trio of kills from Ambrose, extending the lead to 16-4. ODU struggled to recover from the deficit, but App State jumped ahead to 24-13 after a block from junior Madison Baldridge and Winterhoff followed by an ace from Winterhoff. A kill from Ambrose closed out the set, with App State taking the set 25-14.
ODU held a steady lead throughout the third set, taking a 10-7 lead. App State tied things up at 10-10 after a kill from Missroon and back-to-back kills from Dombrowski. The Monarchs held to the lead, pushing the score to 24-19. App State went on a 4-0 run, its longest of the set, to come within one of the Monarchs (24-23), but ODU snagged the third set, 25-23.
In the fourth and final set, App State regained its momentum, going on a 4-0 run to take a 5-2 lead after two kills from Winterhoff, a kill from Denny, and an ace from Cain. Building off its lead, App State went on a 5-0 run, which included a kill from Ambrose, a block by the duo of Baldridge and Missroon and a block from the duo of Missroon and Ambrose, to push the score to 11-5. The Black and Gold extended its lead to 23-12, building off three 3-0 runs. Ambrose posted back-to-back kills to take the set, 25-13, as the Mountaineers clinched the match, 3-1.
Up Next
The Mountaineers return to Boone, N.C. to host Georgia Southern on Nov. 4 (6 p.m.) and Nov. 5 (1 p.m.). Both matches will be broadcasted on ESPN+.
