Category: College

RALEIGH, N.C. — App State Wrestling started the 2022-23 season by taking four of 10 matches from No. 9 NC State, which claimed a 26-12 victory in front of a big opening-night crowd at Reynolds Coliseum.

A top-30 team entering the season, the Mountaineers got three-point decisions from Jon Jon Millner (149 pounds), Will Formato (165), Caleb Smith (125) and Sean Carter (133), with Formato and Carter prevailing in overtime. Smith recorded a tiebreaking takedown in the final minute of his match, and Millner pitched a shutout.

NC State had two pins and two major decisions to earn bonus points in four of its six wins.

Winning against the Wolfpack for the second straight year, the 26th-ranked Carter ended the dual with a 3-1 (SV-1) victory against 11th-ranked Kai Orine thanks to a takedown with 1:04 left in their two-minute overtime period. Carter had a third-period takedown overturned, but he still came out on top after each wrestler traded escapes in regulation.

Before that match, the 20th-ranked Smith won 3-2 against two-time NCAA qualifier Jarrett Trombley by earning a tiebreaking takedown with 39 seconds left.

Formato’s 3-2 (SV-1) victory against Don Cates ended with a one-point penalty against Cates for a second stall call in overtime. Cates posted an early takedown, and Formato tied the match with an escape after that takedown and an escape early in the second period. The wrestlers began the third period on their feet — Formato is extremely tough on top.

Millner recorded takedowns in the first and third periods of his 6-0 win against Jackson Arrington.

The other most competitive matches occurred at 174, with Will Miller recording a third-period takedown in his dual debut, a 12-8 loss to Brock Delsignore, and in the heavyweight division, where Jacob Sartorio trailed 5-3 in the third period of an 8-3 loss to Owen Trephan. Miller, Sartorio and Luke Uliano (184 pounds) all made their dual debuts for the Mountaineers.

Returning starters Heath Gonyer, Cody Bond and Wyatt Miller dropped matches against wrestlers ranked No. 22, No. 6 and No. 17 nationally.

No. 9 NC State 26, App State 12

141: #22 Ryan Jack (NCSU) def. Heath Gonyer (APP), 11-2 maj. dec.
149: #6 Jon Jon Millner (APP) def. Jackson Arrington (NCSU), 6-0 dec.
157: #6 Ed Scott (NCSU) def. #23 Cody Bond (APP), 14-5 maj. dec.
165: #15 Will Formato (APP) def. Don Cates (NCSU), 3-2 (SV-1)
174: Brock Delsignore (NCSU) def. Will Miller (APP), 12-8
184: #3 Trent Hidlay (NCSU) def. Luke Uliano (APP), fall (3:14)
197: #17 Isaac Trumble (NCSU) def. Wyatt Miller (APP), fall (2:43)
HWT: Owen Trephan (NCSU) def. Jacob Sartorio (APP), 8-3 dec.
125: #20 Caleb Smith (APP) def. Jarrett Trombley (NCSU), 3-2 dec.
133: #26 Sean Carter (APP) def. #11 Kai Orine (NCSU), 3-1 (SV-1)

BOONE, N.C. – The App State volleyball team edged past Georgia Southern, 3-2 (25-23, 20-25, 22-25, 25-22, 15-11) on its home court on Friday. The Mountaineers improve to 15-9 (8-5 SBC) on the season with three remaining regular season matches.

“We had a hard-fought match,” said head coach Sarah Rumely Noble. “We battled for every point and believed in playing App State Volleyball. Everyone on our team made a big time play in a big moment. I’m really proud.”

The Mountaineers return to the court Saturday afternoon for their second battle against the Eagles at 1 p.m. The match will be broadcasted on ESPN+. Half-price tickets will be available to fans who bring in canned food items, which will benefit the Health and Hunger Coalition.

Match Details

Sophomore Lulu Ambrose led the Mountaineers with 21 kills and was followed by senior McCall Denny, who earned a double-double with 20 kills and led the team in digs with 19. Freshman Maya Winterhoff held the team-high in aces (4), and was third on the team for blocks (3) and kills (10). Seniors Sarah Missroon and Sam Bickley posted the team-highs in the blocks (4) and assists categories (28), respectively.

App State outpaced Georgia Southern in points (79-72), kills (66-57), assists (59-53), and digs (87-84).

A kill from junior Meghan Dombrowski and an ace from Winterhoff put the Mountaineers up 2-0 in the first set, but Georgia Southern was quick to respond. Going point-for-point, neither team could pull away for a substantial lead. Down 16-13, the Mountaineers came back with two consecutive kills from Ambrose and a block from Ambrose and Winterhoff to tie things at 16-16. The Black and Gold kept pace with GS, tying the score at 17 all with another kill from Ambrose, followed by a kill from Denny and an error from the Eagles to take a 19-17 lead. Georgia Southern kept up with App State, taking a 22-21 lead, but App State notched two points off a GS error and kill from Missroon to take the lead back at 23-22. The Eagles matched the Mountaineers at 23 all, but App State cliched the first set, 25-23, after a pair of GS errors.

Georgia Southern jumped to a 5-3 lead in the second set, which App State responded with a 3-0 run that included a kill from junior Madison Baldridge and a block from Baldridge and Missroon, to edge past the Eagles, 6-5. The Mountaineers extended their lead to 10-6 after a 4-0 run that included back-to-back kills from Ambrose and a kill by junior Sophie Cain. App State kept a slight edge over the Eagles until Georgia Southern broke a 17-17 tie with a four-point run (21-17) followed promptly by three more points to push the score to 24-18. Ambrose and Winterhoff mustered two more kills to bring App State within four, but Georgia Southern’s Paige Powers slammed down a kill to secure the set 25-20 in favor of GS.

Much like the first two sets, App State and Georgia Southern stayed neck and neck in the third. App State posted a 3-0 run that included kills from Dombroski and Winterhoff to jump ahead to 10-6. GS answered with a 4-0 run to tie things at 10 all. The Mountaineers went on a four-point run of their own with back-to-back kills from Denny and a pair of GS errors to lead 14-10. GS pushed the score to 15-14 with five consecutive points and eventually pushed the score to 23-19. Kills from Ambrose and Winterhoff, as well as a block from Winterhoff and Dombrowski put the Black and Gold within one of GS’s lead (23-22), but GS rounded out the third set, 25-22.

App State kicked off the fourth set with kills from Winterhoff and Denny to take a 2-0 lead. Despite Georgia Southern catching up at 2-2, the Mountaineers earned three points from a GS error, a block from Missroon and Baldridge and a kill from Denny to lead 5-2. The Mountaineers’ momentum carried throughout the set. A kill from Baldridge tied the score at 12 all and was promptly followed by two consecutive kills from Winterhoff, which pushed the score to 14-12. Tied at 18-18 after matching each other point-for-point, a GS error and kills from Cain and Winterhoff put App State up 21-18. Freshman Kenady Roper served up an ace to put App State up 23-19, and despite a late 3-0 run from Georgia Southern, a kill from Winterhoff and error from GS closed out the set with App State winning 25-22 to tie things at two sets apiece.

A kill from Denny followed by an ace from Winterhoff put the Black and Gold up 2-0 in the fifth and final set. GS answered with three consecutive points to take a slight 3-2 lead, but App State kept pace, regaining the lead at 4-3 after back-to-back kills from Denny. GS jumped to an 8-5 lead after a 4-0 run, but App State answered with a four-point run of its own with back-to-back kills from Ambrose, an ace from freshman Alyssa McBean, and a GS error to take a slight 9-8 lead. Kills from Ambrose and Winterhoff put the Mountaineers up 11-9 and a kill from Baldridge kept App State ahead at 12-10. Georgia Southern came within one at 12-11. A kill from Denny and an ace from Winterhoff extended the deficit to 14-11. A final kill from Baldridge sealed the set 15-11 for App State and cliched the match at 3-2.

By David Rogers. CONWAY, S.C. — Two half-ending rallies came up short for the Mountaineers as Appalachian State’s slim hopes for another Sun Belt Conference championship were effectively extinguished on Nov. 3, losing to Coastal Carolina, 35-28.

Down 35-14 with just over 13 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, the Mountaineers made a game of it with two touchdowns in the final period and stalwart defensive stops.

Two TDs by Coastal Carolina early in the 4th quarter seemed to all but seal the Mountaineers’ fate for this trip down the mountain to the coast. On the first play of the final period, Chanticleer quarterback Grayson McCall found tight end Jacob Jenkins for an 8-yard scoring aerial, to make it 28-14 (with the PAT kick good). Mountaineer QB Chase Brice was hit as he delivered a pass and the ball came down in the arms of Coastal defender Tavyn Jackson, who returned it 54 yards before being brought down just short of the goal line. CCU running back Reese White finished things off with a 2-yard plunge up the middle, and the Chanticleers had a commanding, 35-14 lead with the clock winding down.

With 11:02 remaining, App State’s Brice finished off a 6-play, 80 yard drive with a 42 yard TD pass to Tyler Page. A Michael Hughes PAT kick tightened the score to 35-21. Then, after a 9-play drive by Coastal that got the ball to the App State 45, running back C J Beasley fumbled at the 42-yardline. The Mountaineers’ Nick Hampton recovered it and App State was back in business.

If anything, the Mountaineers’ ensuing 11-play scoring drive that was completed when Brice maneuvered through the line of scrimmage from five yards out took too much time to move the 58 yards. It only took 1:56 for the drive with a series of no-huddle plays, but with only 3:01 on the clock when CCU took over, that almost two minutes were precious.

Behind a courageous effort by the Chanticleers’ McCall, who limped on and off the field in the final quarter between big plays, Coastal was able to run the final 3:01 off the clock and keep Appalachian State at bay.

Midway through the second quarter, Brice hit redshirt freshman Dalton Stroman for a 41-yard TD pass, the 6-4 receiver out of Richmond Senior High School in Rockingham, N.C. making a highlight reel-worthy catch with one arm. That was enough to pull the Mountaineers to within one score going into intermission, but that was as close as they got.

It was only the second win for Coastal Carolina in eight games against Appalachian State, dating back to 2005 when both programs were competing at the FCS level.

The win puts Coastal Carolina (5-1 SBC, 8-1 overall) in the driver’s seat for the East Division title and a likely berth in the Sun Belt Conference Championship Game on Dec. 3. With the loss, App State drops to 2-3 in Sun Belt play (6th place in the East Division standings) and 5-4 overall. Three games remain on the schedule, at Marshall on Nov. 12, vs. Old Dominion on Nov. 19, then at Georgia Southern on Nov. 26 to close out the regular season.

The announced attendance of 21,224 was one of the largest crowds to watch a Coastal Carolina football game in Brooks Stadium, according to school officials.

Game Notes (Courtesy of App States Sports):

• App State’s lead in the all-time series against Coastal Carolina dropped to 7-2, with the Chanticleers’ two wins coming in the last two contests in Conway.
• The Mountaineers have lost four regular-season games for the first time since 2017, a year they claimed a Sun Belt title and beat Toledo 34-0 in the Dollar General Bowl.
• This is the first time App State has lost three Sun Belt games in a season.
• Since the Mountaineers’ 2014 FBS debut, App State has the sixth-most wins (85) in the FBS in that span behind just Alabama (111), Clemson (107), Ohio State (101), Georgia (94) and Oklahoma (91).
• App State’s road record since transitioning to the FBS ranks in 2014 fell to 32-18. The 32 wins are tied for fourth-most among FBS teams over that span.
• Both of App State’s Sun Belt road games have featured record crowds. Coastal Carolina set its attendance record with 21,224 fans, while Texas State set a record for its largest attendance in a Sun Belt Conference game (25,613).

Offense

• Chase Brice completed 19 of 28 passes for 279 yards and two touchdowns, while adding 22 yards and a score on the ground. It’s the eight time in nine games that Brice has accounted for two or more touchdowns.
• Dalton Stroman caught his fourth touchdown of the year, tied for most on the team. Four of his 15 catches this season have been in the end zone.
• Tyler Page had a 42-yard touchdown on his only catch of the game. It was his second straight game with a score.
• Daetrich Harrington scored his second touchdown of the season on a 2-yard run that tied the game at 7-7 late in the first quarter.
• App State completed a pass to nine different receivers, the eighth time in nine games this year that the Mountaineers have had at least nine different pass catchers.

Defense

• Nick Hampton posted his seventh sack of the year. His 26.5 career sacks are fourth-most among active full-time FBS players and tied for fourth in school history with Demetrius Taylor (2017-21). Hampton also recovered a fumble for the second time this year.
• Jalen McLeod got his fifth sack of the year among career-high six total tackles and 1.5 TFLs.
• Tyler Bird led all players with a career-high 11 tackles
• Ronald Clarke recorded a career-high seven tackles.

By Bobby Neal for App State Sports. CLEVELAND, Ohio — App State field hockey earned a cumulative nine postseason Mid-American Conference awards, the conference announced on Thursday.

Meghan Dawson was named Coach of the Year, and Friederike Stegen was named the MAC Offensive Player of the Year. Stegen and Anna Smarrelli were named first-team All-MAC, while Pauline Mangold, Sarah Farrell and Addie Clark were named second-team All-MAC. Lise Boekaar and Henriette Stegen were named to the All-MAC freshman team.

“I am so proud of our group for all the awards they have earned,” Dawson said. “The individuals that have gotten recognized have been working hard all year to make our group better. I always tell our team that anytime someone gets an individual award, it represents all the hard work our entire group has done. All of these awards and recognitions show how strong our team is, the work they’ve done all season, and the strong mentality they have held all season long.”

Meghan Dawson – MAC Coach of the Year
Dawson has led the Mountaineers to their most wins since the Jan Watson era, tallying 13 wins and achieving a conference record of 5-2, the best they have had since entering the MAC. After starting the season 4-5, Dawson flipped the script, earning nine straight wins to close the regular season, the squad’s second-longest winning streak of all time. The Mountaineers went 8-1 at home and came within one goal of defeating No. 16 Duke and No. 15 Wake Forest on the road.

Friederike Stegen – MAC Offensive Player of the Year
Stegen led the App State offense to its most successful season since 1981 by attaining a conference-leading 30 points, made up of 12 goals and six assists. Stegen’s dynamic abilities have forced opposing defenses to strategize against her all season. Yet, she scored against both of the top two teams in the MAC this year and assisted the crucial double-overtime goal against Ball State to keep the Mountaineers in the race for a tournament seed. The Germany native also had four assists in one game, the second-most by anyone in the nation this season. Against an impressive Rider team, Stegen proved her skill by dribbling through defenders to score the game-winner in double-overtime. Finally, the midfielder is ranked ninth or better in the MAC in every offensive category.

Friederike Stegen, Anna Smarrelli – First-Team All-MAC
Smarrelli scored nine goals and two game-winners this season, the sixth-most in the MAC in each category. The graduate student forced overtime against No. 16 Duke and also had the diving goal that ended the double-overtime thriller against Ball State to keep App State alive in the race for a spot in the tournament.

Pauline Mangold, Sarah Farrell, Addie Clark – Second-Team All-MAC
Mangold facilitated a high clip of App State’s offense this year, scoring seven goals and assisting eight, combining for 22 points, the sixth-highest in the MAC. Her assist rate was the third highest in the conference and the senior also had three game-winning goals. In the midfield, Mangold rarely subbed out. She averaged 58 minutes per game as a catalyst for App State’s nine-game win streak.

Farrell had a career season for App State this year by scoring seven goals and earning two game-winners, ranking in the top 10 in the MAC for each category. Most notably, Farrell punched the Mountaineers’ ticket to the conference tournament by scoring the game-winner against Ohio. The senior also had three games with two goals this season, two being against MAC opponents. Farrell won Offensive Player of the Week in October for her two goals against Longwood.

Clark was a two-time Defensive Player of the Week this season for her career year in the cage. The senior led the MAC in shutouts with a whopping six and had a save percentage of .792, the second-most in the conference and the eighth-best clip in the nation. Also, her goals allowed average of 1.05 is the eighth lowest in the nation. Clark never allowed more than three goals in a game and had 11 games with one or fewer goals allowed.

Lise Boekaar, Henriette Stegen – All-MAC Freshman Team
Boekaar scored three goals on five shots this season, leading the Mountaineers in shot percentage at 60%. She also had four assists and 15 starts, including eight starts during App State’s historic nine-game winning streak. The freshman averaged 46 minutes per game to help the Black & Gold to its 13 wins.

Henriette Stegen had an impressive freshman season, scoring four goals and earning a shot-on-goal percentage of .850. Stegen scored against the No. 15 Demon Deacons and earned her biggest goal of the season against Ohio when the Mountaineers clinched their spot in the MAC Tournament by defeating the Bobcats, 2-1.

UP NEXT

The Mountaineers will face Kent State in their semifinal game of the MAC Tournament on Friday at 2:30 p.m. in Oxford, Ohio. The winner will play against either Miami or Ball State in the championship game on Saturday at 2 p.m.

All-MAC First Team
Friederike Stegen, App State
Anna Smarrelli, App State
Fleur Knopert, Ball State
Amber Hofenk Jerembo, Bellarmine
Patricia Strunk, Kent State
Maria Cambra Soler, Kent State
Luli Rosso, Miami
Claudia Garcia Negrete, Miami
Macy McHale, Miami
Mijntje Ligentberg, Ohio
GK: Isabelle Perese, Miami

All-MAC Second Team
Pauline Mangold, App State
Sarah Farrell, App State
Kate Biglin, Central Michigan
Alice O’Hagan, Central Michigan
Maia Sarrabayrouse, Kent State
Iris Bekker, Kent State
Maroussia Walckiers, Longwood
Paula Navarro, Miami
Paula Pena Martinez, Miami
Katelyn Whittle, Ohio
GK: Addie Clark, App State

All-MAC Freshman Team
Lise Boekaar, App State
Henriette Stegen, App State
Fleur Knopert, Ball State
Patricia Strunk, Kent State
Maia Sarrabayrouse, Kent State
Iris Bekker, Kent State
Paula Navarro, Miami
Mijntje Ligtenberg, Ohio

Coach of the Year
Meghan Dawson, App State

Defensive Player of the Year
Maria Cambra Soler, Kent State

Offensive Player of the Year
Friederike Stegen, App State

Goalkeeper of the Year
Isabelle Perese, Miami

Co-Freshmen of the Year
Patricia Strunk, Kent State
Mijntje Ligtenberg, Ohio

By Matt Present for App State Sports. FOLEY, Ala. — Picked to finish 13th out of 14 teams in the Sun Belt to begin the season, App State more than doubled its conference win total from 2021, and battled to the final whistle in the opening round of the conference tournament before ultimately falling, 2-1, to Marshall.

The 110 minutes needed to decide a winner between the 7th-seeded Mountaineers and the 10th-seeded Thundering Herd was indicative of how even the match was throughout. App State outshot the Herd,15-14, and the teams were tied with five shots on goal apiece. It was also a physical match throughout, with the teams combining to be whistled for 47 fouls and five yellow cards.

Shannon Studer capped a stellar freshman campaign with her third goal of the season in the final minute of the opening half. It was initiated by a free kick from Skyler Walk, who served the ball into the box before Mumu Guisasola redirected the ball to Studer for the finish.

Marshall evened the score in the second half when Makai Laguines was able to put away a goal on a counterattack in the 59th minute.

Both teams saw quality opportunities over the duration of regulation. Breckyn Monteith finished with four shots and two on goal for the game, while Izzi Wood added three shots and one on target.

Less than two minutes into the first extra period, Kat Gonzalez curled a ball into the top right corner to put Marshall in front, 2-1.

Seven Mountaineers played over 90 minutes in the contest with Studer, Walk, Monteith, and Olivia Cohen playing all 110 minutes.

Kerry Eagleston recorded three saves in her final start in goal. She concludes her App State career with 352 saves and 18 shutouts, both marks rank third in program history.

The Mountaineers close the 2022 season with a record of 6-9-4 overall and 5-5 in Sun Belt play.

By Bobby Neal for App State Sports. DAVIDSON, N.C. — App State field hockey earned its ninth consecutive win and sixth shutout of the season on Sunday by defeating Davidson, 3-0.

Not only is this the second-longest winning streak in program history, but 13 wins ties for the second-most wins in program history. App State went 14-4-4 in 1978 under the leadership of Jan Watson. This is the first time that the Black & Gold have won 13 games since 1981.

The Mountaineers (13-5, 5-2 MAC) allowed no shots on goal from the Wildcats (4-15, 3-6 A-10) and saw goals from Charlotte Bosma, Pauline Mangold and Henriette Stegen.

12 minutes into the game, Bosma struck first after receiving a pass from Carli Ciocco and dribbling through several Davidson defenders to get open for the goal.

After a long scoring break, Mangold rebounded a saved shot on a corner play and tapped it into the goal, giving App State a comfortable 2-0 lead with five minutes remaining.

Three minutes later, Stegen hit the dagger to end the game thanks to a running assist from Bridget Donovan.

Defensively, Grace Ball, Addie Clark, Allison Corey and Fien Zwaan allowed only two shots in their combined 240 minutes of play, neither of which were on goal.

The Mountaineers will now set their sights on the MAC Tournament that will take place on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 4-5 in Oxford, Ohio. App State will match up with Kent State on Friday at 2:30 p.m. The winner of that game will play against either Miami or Ball State in the championship game on Saturday at 2 p.m.

By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — A slow start it might have been, but Appalachian State picked up momentum quickly after the first quarter on Homecoming Night against Pittsburgh, Pa.-based Robert Morris University, an FCS-level competitor in the Big South Conference. The Mountaineers nearly cleared the bench in what evolved as a lopsided, 42-3 win.

According to App State Athletics’ Strategic Communications, unofficially, 83 players saw action in the game, including 11 true freshmen among the 20 players who made their Mountaineer debuts.

With a packed Kidd Brewer Stadium of Homecoming alums (attendance: 32,501), Appalachian State deployed six running backs, eight wide receivers, five tight ends, and three quarterbacks to score six touchdowns on the day, two rushing and four passing.

Before leaving the game in the third quarter, graduate transfer QB Chase Brice threw four touchdown passes vs. one interception in leading the Mountaineer attack. He completed 17 of 23 attempts for 185 yards.

Running back Nate Noel was the most productive rusher, carrying the ball just five times for 88 yards, while local product Anderson Castle carried the ball 9 times for 67 yards, including a 19-yard TD run around the right side, bouncing off and outsprinting would-be tacklers before burrowing across the goal line just inside the sideline pylon.

Top freshman recruit Kanye Roberts showed off what may well be the long-term future of Appalachian’s ground game in the second half, with11 carries for 58 yards and the second rushing TD.

Through the air, Brice found wide receivers Tyler Page, Dashaun Davis, and Dalton Stroman, as well as tight end Miller Gibbs on trips into the end zone.

Now 5-3 overall and 2-2 in Sun Belt Conference play, App State moves to within one win of becoming bowl eligible but with four Sun Belt Conference games remaining, all in the highly competitive East Division, the Mountaineers still have a shot at becoming the East representative in the Sun Belt championship game, Dec. 3, at the home field of the team with the league’s best record. To have any chance, the App State needs to win all of its remaining games, beginning with @Coastal Carolina (Nov. 3), @Marshall (Nov. 12), vs. Old Dominion (Nov. 19), and @ Georgia Southern (Nov. 26).

Sun Belt Conference Scores for the Week

• Appalachian State 42, Robert Morris 3 (Oct. 29)
• Georgia State 31, Old Dominion 17 (Oct. 29)
• South Alabama 31, Arkansas State 3 (Oct. 29)
• Coastal Carolina 24, Marshall 13 (Oct. 29)
• Southern Miss 39, Louisiana 24 (Oct. 27)

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+.

By Katherine Jamtgaard, for App State Sports. NORFOLK, Va. — The App State volleyball team fell 3-0 (13-25, 27-29, 24-26) to Old Dominion in Norfolk, Va. on Friday. The Mountaineers are 13-9 (6-5 SBC) after the Monarchs snapped the Black and Gold’s six-match win streak that spanned the month of October.

The Mountaineers return to the court for their second clash with ODU on Saturday at 1 p.m.

Match Details

Senior McCall Denny posted a team-high 12 kills on the night. Denny tied with fellow senior Sarah Missroon and junior Meghan Dombrowski for the team-high in the blocks category, each posting two. Freshman Alyssa McBean led the team in aces with three, as well as digs, tallying 13. Leading the team in assists was junior Sophie Cain, who recorded 13 on the night.

ODU jumped to an early 5-3 lead in the first set after a 4-0 run. A kill from Missroon and block from Missroon and Denny tied things up at 5-5. The Monarchs went on another 4-0 run, followed promptly by a five-point run to extend the lead to 14-6. The Mountaineers answered with kills from Missroon and sophomore Lulu Ambrose, as well as a pair of aces from McBean to narrow ODU’s lead to four (14-10). Old Dominion jumped ahead to 21-10 after seven consecutive points, and despite a late kill from Ambrose and two errors from the Monarchs, ODU took the set, 25-13.

Early in the second set, App State tied things up at 3-3 after a block from Missroon and Denny, which was followed by a kill from Missroon and two ODU errors that bumped the Mountaineers up, to a 6-3 lead. Tied at 10-10, the Black and Gold edged past the Monarchs with a block from Dombrowski and freshman Maya Winterhoff, followed by a kill from Winterhoff to take a tight 12-10 lead. The Mountaineers and Monarchs went point for point late in the set. After App State scored three consecutive points that included a kill from junior Madison Baldridge and back-to-back aces from Denny, Old Dominion tied things up at 24 all. A kill from Missroon tied the score at 25-25. Ambrose slammed down one last kill before ODU capped the set with a 3-0 run and score of 29-27.

The Mountaineers tied the score at 3-3 and 4-4 with kills from Denny to start off the third set. App State trailed for most of the set, coming within one after a pair of 3-0 runs (12-11), but couldn’t quite overtake the Monarchs, who expanded the deficit to 24-16. Fighting back, App State went on an impressive eight-point run that included two kills from Winterhoff, two kills from Denny, an ace from freshman Kenady Roper, a block from Dombrowski and Winterhoff, and a pair of ODU errors, to catch up with the Monarchs at 24-24. Despite the comeback, ODU took the set 26-24, and the match, 3-0.

ATHENS, OHIO – App State field hockey earned its second-longest winning streak in program history while clinching a spot in the Mid-American Conference Tournament by defeating Ohio 2-1 on Friday afternoon.

The Mountaineers (12-5, 5-2 MAC) won their eighth straight game and finished regular season play with five conference wins. The longest streak ever was earned during the team’s inaugural season, when the Black & Gold won their last 11 matchups in 1968.

App State will be the No. 3 seed in the tournament, competing alongside Miami, Kent State and Ball State. This is the squad’s first appearance in the tournament since 2019 when they defeated Central Michigan and Ohio before falling to Miami in the quarterfinals.

Henriette Stegen had the game’s opening goal in the 12th minute of the first period. Anna Smarrelli had a shot on goal that was saved and quickly rebounded by Carli Ciocco who dished it to Stegen to give App State the lead.

This was Stegen’s third goal of the season, marking 15 combined goals between the Stegen sisters in 2022. The assist was the 12th of the season for Ciocco, the fifth-most of anyone in the nation. The senior is also now tied for first in App State history in the single-season assists category.

Midway through the third quarter, the Bobcats (8-9, 3-4 MAC) responded with a goal to tie the game, 1-1. The Mountaineers fired off seven shots to Ohio’s one during the next eight minutes in an aggressive attempt to retake the lead, which they did at the 47-minute mark. Three of those seven shots came from Charlotte Bosma.

Sarah Farrell scored an unassisted game-winner with 13 minutes to go to lead App State to victory. This was Farrell’s seventh goal of the season.

Addie Clark, Grace Ball, Allison Corey and Fien Zwaan held back the Ohio offense for the rest of the game, all having played the full 60 minutes on defense. Clark had seven saves, bringing her save percentage to .789, the second most in the MAC.
App State will close its regular season at Davidson on Sunday at 1 p.m. before traveling to Oxford, Ohio to compete in the MAC Tournament on Nov. 4-5. The matchup against Davidson will be streamed live on ESPN+.