By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — William & Mary won the 2023 women’s volleyball season’s opening battle, but it was App State that won three successive “wars” to earn a sweep over The Tribe on Aug. 25, 3-0 (25-22, 25-18, 25-19), in the first match of the weekend’s Mountaineer Classic at the Holmes Center.
After The Tribe earned the first point of the first set, the two teams battled back and forth, with multiple ties and exchanging the lead. The last time the first set was knotted was at 21-21, but a service ace by App State’s Kenady Roper followed by a solo block by outside hitter McCall Denny gave the Mountaineers a 2-shot lead, 23-21. Although a kill by The Tribe’s Maddie Meyers (assist from Lindsay Kahren) narrowed the gap, two consecutive kills by App State’s Denny (assists from Katie Cruise and Sophie Cain) closed out the set.
The Mountaineers were in control for almost the entire second set, gradually inching out to an 8-point lead at 19-11. Denny and Maya Winterhoff were on the finishing side of most kill shots.
In the third set, William & Mary again secured the first point, but the Mountaineers quickly reversed the scoring trend and jumped out to a 7-1 lead. The Tribe did battle back to tie the set at 12-12 on a service ace by Amy Schwem, but the Mountaineers gradually expanded their advantage thanks to kills by Winterhoff, Denny, Lulu Ambrose, and Lauren Pledger, as well as service aces off the arms of Denny and Katie Cruise.
The Mountaineers take on Bellarmine at 6:30 p.m. on Aug. 25 at the Holmes Center, then face Tennessee Tech on Aug. 26, at 1:30 p.m.
