By Katherine Jamtgaard. CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The App State men’s and women’s cross country teams rounded out regular season competition on Friday at the Wildcat Invite, hosted by Johnson & Wales at McAlpine Park in Charlotte. The men’s and women’s squads clinched first in the team standings, with the women scoring 24 points and the men scoring 31 points.
Six Mountaineers placed in the top-10 in the women’s 5K. Sophomore Annie Amundsen set pace for the Mountaineers, clocking a time of 18:48.7 to place second. Amundsen was followed by fellow sophomore Kirstin Towle, who took third with a time of 19:04.8, and senior Abby Lee, who recorded a time of 19:07.6 (PR) to place fourth. Freshman Reilly Barber stopped the clock at 19:09.5. Sophomores Catherine Berault and Abby Granburg rounded out the top-10 with Breault finishing ninth (19:42.2) and Granberg taking 10th (19:43.9).
Team finishes: App State (24), Lees McRae (55), Emory & Henry (125), Savannah State (138), Brevard (162), Johnson & Wales (165), Monroe College (175), Warren Wilson (191), Sweet Briar (194), and North Carolina Wesleyan (215).
Men’s Division
On the men’s side, four Mountaineers placed in the top-10, led by Caleb Kirchoff, who crossed the finish line with a time of 25:36.3 to place sixth. Following Kirchoff was fellow junior Ben Datte (seventh, 25:38.2), and sophomores Calbert Guest and Jonah Morris placed eighth (25:41.7) and ninth (25:44.0, PR), respectively.
Team finishes: App State (31), Lenoir-Rhyne (46), Lees McRae 59), Emory & Henry (122), Monroe College (150), Johnson & Wales (165), North Carolina Wesleyan (219), St. Augustine’s (223), Warren Wilson (237), Savannah State (240), and Winston-Salem State (263).
Up Next
The Mountaineers will travel to Foley, Ala. for the Sun Belt Cross Country Championships, Oct. 29.
Special Report from App State Sports. HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Izzi Wood notched her fifth goal of the season, while Kerry Eagleston posted her sixth shutout of the year, as App State earned a 1-0 victory over Southern Miss in Hattiesburg, Thursday.
Wood scored in the 14th minute of play, finishing into the low far corner, after receiving a feed from Breckyn Monteith at the top of the 18-yard box.
Eagleston made a handful of timely saves for the Mountaineers (5-7-4, 4-4-0), including one just moments after Wood’s goal. Southern Miss (1-8-3, 1-4-2) played a free kick into the box resulting in a shot that ricocheted off the crossbar. Eagleston turned aside a follow-up chance from point-blank range to keep App State in front.
The shutout was the 18th of her career, and the sixth of the season, which matches her total from a season ago, and moves her within one shutout of matching the single-season program record.
App State only tallied five shots in the match, with their best chance, outside of the goal, coming on a left-footed effort from Emma McGibany in the opening minutes of play.
The victory marks the first road win for App State this season, and moves them to the brink of securing a spot in the Sun Belt tournament, which could be locked up as early as later tonight, pending other conference results. The four conference wins doubles the Mountaineers total from a season ago.
App State will take on Louisiana in their home finale, Sunday at 11 a.m. at the Ted Mackorell Soccer Complex. The match will be broadcast on ESPN+.
By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Appalachian State’s (4-3 overall, 2-2 Sun Belt) crazy college football season was given new energy on Oct. 19, and on national TV, no less. After failing to show up (figuratively speaking) at Texas State just 10 days ago, the Mountaineers ducked into a phone booth, twirled around a couple of times, then re-emerged as the Running Back U of days gone by — and with a disruptive, stingy defense, too. The High Country’s favorite sons reestablished themselves as a force to be reckoned with in 2022’s topsy-turvy Sun Belt Conference, defeating Georgia State (2-5, 1-2) going away, 42-17.
In the first quarter, the Mountaineers’ defense seemed to be rolling out a red carpet for the Panthers, who are led by senior QB Darren Granger. On Georgia State’s first possession, the Panthers went 79 yards in 11 plays, taking four minutes off the clock. More than half of that yardage was rolled up by senior running back Tucker Gregg, the former walk-on known for his hard-nosed running style. The Chatsworth, Ga. native finished off the drive with a 4-yard plunge into the end zone, giving the visitors an early, 7-0 advantage with the successful PAT kick by teammate Michael Hayes.
Late in the third quarter of App State’s Oct. 19 matchup vs. Georgia State, RB Daetrich Harrington goes around the left side before being forced out of bounds. Photo by David Rogers
As in App State’s game-opening first drive, the Mountaineer offense could do little or nothing in response. It was five plays and punt it back to the Panthers, who again orchestrated a TD-scoring drive, this one comprised of 7 plays to cover 78 yards, ending with a 26-yard, touchdown-producing “QB keeper” by the speedy, athletic Granger.
Suddenly, the Mountaineers found themselves down, 14-0, with more than four minutes remaining in the first quarter. App Nation was getting restless. There was even a sprinkling of “boos” heard around Kidd Brewer Stadium.
And then momentum shifted, punctuated by a 16-yard rumble to the goal line by redshirt junior running back Camerun Peoples, followed by a PAT kick by Michael Hughes to shrink the deficit to 14-7.
“Perhaps the most impressive thing about our team,” said Mountaineer head coach Shawn Clark in his press conference opening statement, “is that we found out who we were tonight. When all the outside noise is happening, we believe in ourselves. We played for each other tonight, and for this team. The numbers show it, that we played big boy football on both offense and defense. After the first two drives, we settled in.”
It is hard to argue with the numbers. What appeared to be a gridiron disaster in the making suddenly changed. App State morphed into the Sun Belt powerhouse for which the team has come to be known. By game’s end, they had rolled up 466 yards of total offense, 404 of them on the ground, rushing. Just as important, after letting Georgia State pretty much have its way in the initial quarter, the Mountaineer defense pulled together to allow just 291 yards of total offense for the game and only a late, 4th quarter field goal for the final three periods.
App State QB Chase Brice rarely threw against Georgia State on Oct. 19, on a cold, blustery night. Photo by David Rogers
When everyone is healthy, few FBS-level universities have the stable of running backs that Appalachian State can feature. Led by Peoples’ 168 yards rushing on 23 carries, with two TDs, the Mountaineers were two yards short of having four more running backs with 50 yards-plus on the ground. Last year’s Sun Belt-leading rusher, Nate Noel, carried the ball 15 times for 69 yards. Daetrich Harrington toted the ball 11 times for 52 yards. And local native Anderson Castle reeled off 50 yards in 7 consecutive plays when everyone in the stadium knew he was getting the ball each and every time. His 7.1 yard average per carry produced the final touchdown of the game, putting App State up, 42-17. Wake Forest transfer Ahmani Marshall raced into the end zone from 37 yards out to open the Mountaineers’ scoring outburst after intermission, finishing the night with four carries for 48 yards and the TD. Even QB Chase Brice got in on the rushing barrage, keeping the ball 5 times for 17 yards, including two on-the-ground TDs.
Steven Jones (6) sacks Georgia State QB Darren Granger on Oct. 19, in App State’s nationally televised game on ESPN2. Photo by David Rogers
The Mountaineers forced two turnovers on Georgia State’s first three drives of the second half, allowing them to take control with three consecutive scoring drives of their own, beginning with Marshall’s sprint to the end zone. That was followed by a 10-play, 67-yard drive culminating with a Brice keeper from one yard out. Then, after Mountaineer linebacker Tyler Bird intercepted a Granger pass with 3:01 in the third quarter and returned it 12 yards, to the Georgia State 9-yardline, Brice finished off the short five-play drive with a one-yard keeper to the right side.
“After those first two Georgia State drives, we played really well on defense,” Clark pointed out. “We talked all week about discipline, details and fundamentals and that we had to draw a line in the sand, to stop the bleeding. To stop having self-inflicted wounds that cost us football games. Overall, I think we did that. Our guys said, ‘The time is now and let’s go make a statement. And we did.”
Georgia State’s offense produced 157 yards in its first two drives, then barely 100 for the rest of the game. App State did just the opposite, only with even bigger improvement.
“We settled down and we played Gap Town defense, and we tackled better,” said Clark, indicating that the previous week of practice paid dividends. “We worked a lot on tackling, pursuit drills with proper angles. We weren’t trying to make plays for someone else, but doing our (respective) jobs, relying on one another. It really helped out.”
Boone native and Watauga HS alum Anderson Castle (44) enjoyed what was arguably his biggest night as a Mountaineer running back on one series in the 4th quarter where he carried the ball on 7 consecutive plays for 50 yards and a TD. Photo by David Rogers
After the Texas State performance, Clark admitted that a number of things had to change.
“There was a lot of angst or anxiety to perform well. Our kids want to do the very best they possibly can. Sometimes it doesn’t happen, but it doesn’t mean we aren’t a good football team. We were embarrassed in how we played and how we coached last week (at Texas State), and we came back and changed some things,” Clark added. “That was the beauty of it. (With the extra days between games) We got extra work. We got back to the basics and that was the reason we won tonight.
Clark said when they came in at halftime, he said to Kevin Barbay, the offensive coordinator, “Run the football. We are going to find out what we are made of.”
And run they did.
Because of the mid-week, nationally televised game against Georgia State, App State has another 10-day break before celebrating Homecoming at Kidd Brewer Stadiium against Pittsburgh, Penn.-based Robert Morris University, which competes in the Big South Conference at the Division I FCS level. The Colonials are 0-6 overall all on the season, 0-2 in conference after a 41-10 loss to Campbell University on Oct. 15.
By David Rogers. NEW ORLEANS, La. — Versatile athlete Donovan Gregory, a Mountaineer senior forward that App State head coach said the team will move around for more opportunities, garnered a Pre-Season All-Sun Belt Second Team nod by vote of the 14 head coaches, the conference announced on Monday, Oct. 17.
Louisiana is the preseason favorite to capture the 2022-23 Sun Belt Conference men’s basketball title, according to the coaches poll. The Ragin’ Cajuns’ Jordan Brown was chosen as the 2022-23 Sun Belt Conference Men’s Basketball Preseason Player of the Year.
The Ragin’ Cajuns, who advanced to the Sun Belt Conference tournament championship game last season, received 10 first-place votes. Texas State was picked second, while South Alabama, James Madison and Georgia State rounded out the top-five of the poll, each receiving one first-place vote in the poll.
Sun Belt Conference play begins on Thursday, December 29. Teams will play 18-game regular-season conference schedules with games being played primarily on Thursdays and Saturdays. The final day of the conference regular season will be Friday, February 24.
The season will culminate with the 2023 Sun Belt Men’s Basketball Championship at the Pensacola Bay Center in Pensacola, Fla., from Tuesday, February 28 to Monday, March 6. All games will air on ESPN+ with the title tilt broadcast nationally on ESPN2.
2022-23 Sun Belt Men’s Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll
1. Louisiana – 190 (10)
2. Texas State – 162 (1)
3. South Alabama – 150 (1)
4. James Madison – 149 (1)
5. Georgia State – 127 (1)
6. Marshall – 122 7. App State – 120
8. Coastal Carolina – 100
9. Old Dominion – 93
10. Troy – 76
11. Georgia Southern – 69
12. Arkansas State – 48
13. Southern Miss – 34
14. ULM – 30
2022-23 Sun Belt Conference Men’s Basketball Preseason Awards
Preseason Player of the Year
Jordan Brown, Louisiana (JR | F | Roseville, Calif.)
Preseason All-Sun Belt First Team
Jordan Brown, Louisiana (JR | F | Roseville, Calif.)
Mason Harrell, Texas State (SR | G | Midwest City, Okla.)
Taevion Kinsey, Marshall (SR | G | Columbus, Ohio)
Vado Morse, James Madison (R-SR | G | Suitland, Md.)
Kevin Samuel, South Alabama (GR | C | Codrington Village, Barbuda)
Preseason All-Sun Belt Second Team
Donovan Gregory, App State (SR | F | Charlotte, N.C.)
Felipe Haase, Southern Miss (GR | F | Osorno, Chile)
Kobe Julien, Louisiana (R-SO | F | Baton Rouge, La.)
Essam Mostafa, Coastal Carolina (R-JR | C | Cairo, Egypt)
Greg Parham II, South Alabama (GR | G | Richmond, Va.)
Preseason All-Sun Belt Third Team
Kamdyn Curfman, Marshall (JR | G | North Bethesda, Md.)
Caleb Fields, Arkansas State (JR | G | Lewisburg, Tenn.)
Nika Metskhvarishvili, ULM (JR | F | Tbilisi, Georgia)
Andrew Taylor, Marshall (R-JR | G | Corbin, Ky.)
Zay Williams, Troy (SR | F | Birmingham, Ala.)
Special Report from App State Sports. NEW ORLEANS, La. – App State redshirt senior Janay Sanders and junior Faith Alston earned spots on the Sun Belt All-Conference Team, the league announced on Oct. 17. Sanders was named to the second team, while Alston earned a spot on the third team.
Last season, Sanders started all 26 games during the 2021-22 campaign, clocking 691 minutes on the court. Over the course of the season, Sanders scored 324 points, averaging 12.5 points per game, which landed her second on the team in the points category. The Charlotte, N.C. native posted a field goal percentage of .521, and a free throw percentage of .560, sinking 65 free throws. Sanders totaled 77 rebounds (57 defensive, 20 offensive), made 54 assists and posted 23 steals. At the end of season, Sanders ranked 11th in the conference in scoring, finished in the top-18 in free throw percentage and was ranked in the top-25 in assists. Sanders capped the 2021-22 season with a Third-Team All-Conference nod for her efforts on the court.
Last season, Alston started 18 of the 25 games she appeared in, was on the court 739 minutes and scored 246 points. Alston boasted a .729 free throw percentage, making 35 of 48 free throws, and posted a .385 field goal percentage, sinking 90 shots. The Centerville, N.C. native led the team in assists last year, notching 81 and averaging 3.2 per game. Over the course of the season, Alston totaled 70 rebounds (54 defensive, 16 offensive), and averaged 2.8 per game. At the end of the season, Alston ranked eighth in the SBC in assists and landed in the top 25 for minutes played as well as three-pointers made per game.
Alston and Sanders join seven Mountaineers who have earned spots on the Sun Belt Preseason All-Conference teams since App State joined the conference in 2014.
In the SBC Preseason Women’s Basketball Coaches Poll, the Mountaineers were picked eighth with 102 votes.
Last season, App State went 14-12 (8-4 SBC), achieving its best conference record and highest league finish since joining the Sun Belt. The Mountaineers went on a three-game win-streak in non-conference action from Nov. 28 to Dec. 5, defeating UNC Asheville, ETSU and Gardner-Webb. In Sun Belt play, App State went on a five-game win-streak from Jan. 15 to Jan. 29, and included wins over Little Rock, Louisiana, ULM, and a pair of back-to-back victories over Coastal Carolina. The Mountaineers capped the regular season with a home win against South Alabama on Feb. 26. In the SBC Tournament, the No. 4 seeded Mountaineers fell to Nov. 5 seeded Little Rock in the quarterfinals.
App State will open the 2022-23 season on Nov. 8 against Charlotte at Halton Arena in Charlotte, N.C. The Mountaineers’ home opener is slated for Nov. 14 against Lees-McRae at the Holmes Convocation Center.
2022-23 Sun Belt Conference Women’s Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll
1. Troy (12) – 194
2. Old Dominion (1) – 166
3. Louisiana – 161
4. Southern Miss – 137
5. Texas State – 135
6. James Madison – 130
7. Georgia Southern (1) – 108
8. App State – 102
9. Arkansas State – 96
10. Marshall – 91
11. Georgia State – 50
12. Coastal Carolina – 45
13. South Alabama – 38
14. ULM – 17
2022-23 Sun Belt Conference Women’s Basketball Preseason Awards
Preseason Player of the Year
Felmas Koranga, Troy
Preseason All-Sun Belt First Team
Felmas Koranga, Troy
Da’Nasia Hood, Texas State
Domonique Davis, Southern Miss
Terren Ward, Georgia Southern
Keya Patton, Arkansas State
Preseason All-Sun Belt Second Team
Kennedy Taylor, Texas State
Brandi Williams, Louisiana Janay Sanders, App State
Kiki Jefferson, James Madison
Melyia Grayson, Southern Miss
Preseason All-Sun Belt Third Team
Lanay Wheaton, Louisiana
Amari Young, Old Dominion
Lauryn Pendleton, Arkansas State
Jashanti Simmons, Troy Faith Alston, App State
Previous App State SBC Preseason All-Conference Team Honoree
First Team
Maryah Sydnor (2014-15)
Madi Story (2017-18)
Second Team
Madi Story (2016-17, 2018-19)
Bayley Plummer (2018-19, 2019-20)
Pre Stanley (2020-21)
Third Team
Joi Jones (2015-16)
Lapresha Stanley (2018-19)
Pre Stanley (2019-20)
Michaela Porter (2021-22)
Special Report from App State Sports. ST. LOUIS, Mo. — App State field hockey earned its fourth consecutive win and second straight shutout with a 2-0 victory over Saint Louis on Sunday afternoon.
The Mountaineers (8-5, 3-2 MAC) tallied an outstanding season-high of 29 shots, 20 of which were on goal.
Rachel Fleig struck first midway through the opening period on a goal that was assisted by Lise Boekaar. Fleig has four goals this season, and two game-winners. The assist was the third of Boekaar’s season.
Friederike Stegen gave App State a comfortable lead over the Billikens (2-13, 0-5 A-10) in the third period with a goal that was assisted by Charlotte Bosma. In her career, Stegen now has 25 goals and 25 assists. 11 of those goals have been scored this season, the second most in the Mid-American Conference.
The incredible shot total came from Anna Smarrelli (7, 4 SOG), Stegen (6, 4 SOG), Fleig (5, 5 SOG), Sarah Farrell (5, 4 SOG), Bosma (2, 1 SOG), Carli Ciocco (2, 1 SOG), Bridget Donovan (1, 1 SOG) and Pauline Mangold (1).
This was the fourth shutout of the season for Addie Clark and the defense, who lead the conference in that category. Clark also leads the MAC in save percentage (.785).
App State has one more game tomorrow at Lindenwood at 2 p.m. ET before returning to Boone for two home games next weekend.
By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Saturday upsets in the Sun Belt Conference on Oct. 15 are sure to bring added importance to the remaining conference games after Old Dominion pummeled Coastal Carolina,49-21, and Georgia Southern manhandled James Madison, 45-38.
In other conference matchups this week, Louisiana defeated Marshall, 23-13, in a nationally televised, Wednesday night game (Oct. 12), while Troy edged Texas State, 17-14, South Alabama got by Louisiana-Monroe, 41-34, and Southern Miss survived Arkansas State, 20-19 on the weekend.
Appalachian State and Georgia State had the weekend off before next week’s Wednesday night tilt at Kidd Brewer Stadium, on Oct. 18.
While ODU is 3-3 overall, at 2-0 in conference play it remains one of only two undefeated Sun Belt teams. The win over the Chanticleers catapults the Monarchs into first place in the highly competitive East Division of the conference. Old Dominion has yet to play Georgia Southern (Oct. 22), @Georgia State (Oct. 29), Marshall (Nov. 5), James Madison (Nov. 12), @Appalachian State (Nov. 19), and @South Alabama (Nov. 26).
At 5-1 overall, 2-0 in conference, South Alabama may have a stronger grip on the West Division, but it also faces a gauntlet in finishing out the regular season. That series of games begins with Troy (Oct. 20), @Arkansas State (Oct. 29), @Georgia Southern (Nov. 5), Texas State (Nov. 12), @Southern Miss (Nov. 19), and vs. Old Dominion (Nov. 26).
With apparent parity emerging in the Sun Belt given losses by traditional powers Appalachian State, Georgia Southern and Coastal Carolina along with Saturday’s loss by the season’s latest SBC darling, James Madison, in the East Division, every remaining game becomes “must win” for every school harboring realistic hopes for reaching the Sun Belt Championship Game, a matchup of East and West division winners.
In the West, South Alabama is threatened by Troy and Southern Miss, each with one loss, while all of the other teams in the division have more than one conference loss already to date, including 2021 SBC title holder, Louisiana.
To date, only Coastal Carolina, at 6-1 overall, has reached bowl eligible.
Special Report from App State Sports. SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The App State men’s and women’s cross country team wrapped competition at the USC – Upstate Invite in Spartanburg, S.C. on Saturday with the men’s squad clinching first in the team standings with 30 points and the women taking second with 75 points.
Six Mountaineers rounded out the top-10 in the men’s 8K race, with junior Oliver Wilson-Cook leading the pack. Wilson-Cook clocked a time of 25:03.9 to place fourth individually. Following Wilson-Cook was fellow junior Dwayne Lillie, who placed fifth, stopping the clock at 25:10.6. Sophomores Garrett Bivens and Chase Burrell finished sixth and seventh, respectively, with times of 25:10.6, and 25:13.8. Senior Ryan Teuscher crossed the finish line with a time of 25:14.8 to place eighth, and freshman Tucker Sangster clocked a time of 25:22.9 to place tenth.
In the women’s 5K, sophomore Linnea Maynard set pace for the Mountaineers, clocking a time of 18:28.8 to place fifth. Senior Madison Christy was the next Mountaineer to cross the finish line, stopping the clock at 19:04.1 to place 17th. Sophomores Bianca Copeman, Karsyn Kane, and senior Lila Peters placed 20th (19:11.4), 21st (19:13.1), and 22nd (19:13.4), respectively.
Up Next
The Mountaineers will compete in the Wildcat Invite in Charlotte, N.C. on Oct. 21 before traveling to Foley, Ala. for the Sun Belt Cross Country Championships on Oct. 29.
Special Report from App State Sports. MONROE, La. – The App State volleyball team defeated Louisiana Monroe, 3-1 (23-25, 25-15, 25-20, 25-16), in Monroe, La. on Saturday afternoon. The Mountaineers are now 11-8 (4-4 SBC) on the season and have won their last four road matches, three of which were five-set thrillers.
“I’m super proud to get the weekend sweep,” said head coach Sarah Rumely Noble. “We started off a little slow, but our offense really got going this match. Senior McCall Denny had a great weekend for us and really drove us to win both matches.”
For a second consecutive match, Denny led the Mountaineers in the kills category, posting 16 on the afternoon, two off from her newly set season high, which she recorded in Friday’s match against the Warhawks. Freshman Maya Winterhoff led the team in aces, serving up four, which matches her season and career high set on Sept. 16 against Norfolk State. Senior Sarah Missroon led the Mountaineers once again in the blocks category, totaling five on the afternoon, while junior Sophie Cain led the team in assists with 26. Senior Sam Bickley led the team in digs, posting 13, and had the second-most assists, earning 26, for her second double-double on the weekend.
The Mountaineers led the Warhawks in points (78-56), kills (63-47), aces (9-2), assists (60-45), and digs (64-57).
Match Details
App State trailed during the first set, as ULM built off of an 8-1 lead. The Mountaineers steadily chipped away at the deficit, posting a 5-0 run to come within two (8-6) and a 3-0 run to close the gap to 12-10 with a kill from junior Madison Baldridge, a block from Winterhoff and sophomore Lulu Ambrose, and a ULM error. ULM pulled away, eventually building up to a 21-17 lead. App State managed to come within two at 23-21 after a kill from Winterhoff, and then again at 24-22 after a kill from Denny, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the Warhawks, who took the set 25-23.
The Mountaineers jumped to a 3-0 lead in the second set after a kill from junior Meghan Dombrowski, a block from Missroon and Denny, and a ULM error. Missroon later posted a solo block followed by a block assist with Baldridge to push the score to 8-2 in favor of the Mountaineers. The Black and Gold pulled ahead to 15-10 after kills from Winterhoff, freshman Alyssa McBean, and two consecutive kills from Denny. The Mountaineers went on a 3-0 scoring run that included kills from Dombrowski and Baldridge, as well as an ace from Cain, which made the score 18-11 in favor of App State. App State went on another 3-0 run that included another kill from Baldridge and an ace from Denny to put the Mountaineers up 21-12. Back-to-back kills from Missroon and Winterhoff extended the lead to 23-13, and Baldridge brought App State to set point with a kill of her own. Ambrose slammed down a last kill as the Black and Gold took set two, 25-15.
Bouncing back from an early 4-0 deficit in the third set, App State went on a 7-0 scoring run that put the Black and Gold up 7-4, and included a pair of aces from Winterhoff, a pair of kills from Denny, and a kill from Winterhoff. Back-to-back kills from Ambrose put the Mountaineers up 13-9 mid-set. The Black and Gold went on a 4-0 scoring run as Ambrose delivered a kill and an ace, ULM made an error, and Dombroswki slammed down a kill, which pushed the score to 18-12 in favor of App State. A kill from Denny followed by an ace from Winterhoff put the Mountaineers up 20-14. As ULM chipped away at App State’s lead, Denny posted two more kills to push the score to 22-18 and Ambrose notched three kills to secure the set, 25-20, in favor of App State.
Leading the match two sets to one, the Mountaineers came out hot in the fourth set, taking a 5-0 lead after a ULM error, kills from Dombrowski, Missroon, and Denny, and an ace from Winterhoff. The Mountaineers went on a 4-0 scoring run after kills from Denny, Missroon, and Baldridge and a block from Missroon/Baldridge, extending the lead to 11-5. Kills from Winterhoff and Ambrose, as well as an ace from Bickley, put App State up 16-7. A pair of back-to-back kills from Denny and Ambrose pushed the score to 22-11. Winterhoff, slamming down her 11th kill of the match, put the Mountaineers up 24-14, and Ambrose posted the final kill to take the set, 25-16, and match 3-1, for the Mountaineers.
Up Next
App State is set to host new Sun Belt Conference member Marshall at the Holmes Convocation Center on Oct. 21 and 22. Friday’s match is slated for 6 p.m. and will be ’90s Night. Saturday’s 1 p.m. match will be App State’s Pink Game, benefiting the High Country Breast Cancer Association.
Special Report from App State Sports. MONROE, La. – The App State volleyball team defeated Louisiana-Monroe, 3-2 (25-12, 24-26, 25-19, 22-25, 15-8), on Oct. 14. Friday’s match marked the Mountaineers’ third consecutive five-set victory won on the road.
“We were gritty tonight,” said head coach Sarah Rumely Noble. “We battled through and found a way to win. I’m proud of our fight through some adversity and being able to find our confidence at the end of the match when it mattered.”
The Mountaineers will return to the court to face ULM again at 12 p.m. CT (1 p.m. ET) on Saturday. The match will be broadcasted on ESPN+.
Match Details
Senior McCall Denny set a new season high in kills, leading the team with 18 and earning a double-double with 13 digs. Following Denny in the kills category was sophomore Lulu Ambrose with 11 on the night and freshman Maya Winterhoff, who earned her first career double-double with 10 kills and 11 digs.
Fellow freshman Alyssa McBean led the team in aces, serving up four and matching her season and career high set on Sept. 30 against Coastal Carolina. McBean also posted a team-high 23 digs, a season high for the Hollywood, Fla. freshman. Senior Sam Bickley recorded a team-high 29 assists on the night and made 11 digs for a double-double of her own, while senior Sarah Missroon led the team in blocks, totaling six, four of which were solo.
App State outpaced ULM in points (78-66), kills (62-55), aces (8-4), blocks (8-7), assists (59-52), and digs (89-74).
The Mountaineers commanded the first set after tying things up at 3-3 and going on an 8-0 run to lead 10-3. Within their 8-0 scoring run, the Mountaineers saw back-to-back kills from Ambrose and junior Madison Baldridge, an ace from Denny, a second kill from Ambrose, and a kill from Missroon. The Warhawks managed to come within four, cutting App State’s lead to 14-10, but App State responded with a 6-0 run, including consecutive kills from Denny, kills from junior Meghan Dombrowski and Missroon, and an ace from Winterhoff. Those offensive contributions pushed the score to 20-10. The Mountaineers pulled further ahead after another kill from Dombrowski, a ULM error, and a kill from Denny, to lead 23-12. The Warhawks mustered one more kill before Baldridge and Denny posted a kill and an ace, respectively, to take the set, 25-12.
The second set of the match was tight, with the Warhawks keeping pace and only allowing the Mountaineers one 3-0 scoring run. ULM answered with a 5-0 run of their own to take the lead, 11-9. Battling back and forth for the remainder of the set, Appalachian managed to break an 18-18 tie with a kill from Winterhoff and a ULM error to lead, 20-18. Kills from Missroon and Denny put the Mountaineers up 23-21, but the Warhawks rallied with a late 4-0 scoring run to take the set, 26-24.
Going point-for-point early in the third set, the Mountaineers tied things up at 10-10 and scored four more consecutive points that included a block from Dombrowski and Missroon, as well as a kill from Denny, to take a 14-10 lead. App State further distanced itself from ULM with a 4-0 scoring run that consisted of kills from Denny and Baldridge and two ULM errors, to extend the lead to 19-13. The Black and Gold scored three more consecutive points with a kill from Baldridge and back-to-back aces from McBean, making the score 22-14 in favor of App State. ULM responded with a 3-0 run of its own, but it wasn’t enough to surpass the Mountaineers, who took the third set 25-19 after a kill from Winterhoff.
ULM found momentum in the fourth set, building off an early 5-1 lead that was followed by an 8-0 scoring run that pushed the score to 14-10. App State steadily fought back, going on a 4-0 run to cut the deficit to 18-11. Down 23-15, the Black and Gold went on a 3-0 run before ULM pushed the score to 24-18. The Mountaineers held the Warhawks to four set points with back-to-back kills from Dombrowski, a solo block from Missroon, and a kill from Denny to put App State within two at 24-22, but a final kill from ULM secured set four in favor of the Warhawks, 25-22.
App State jumped to an early 6-2 lead in the fifth and final set, with kills from McBean and Winterhoff, a block from Baldridge and Missroon, and three errors from the Warhawks. The Mountaineers extended their lead to 8-3 after back-to-back kills from Denny and Baldridge. Up 10-6, the Mountaineers went on a 4-0 scoring run to create a 14-6 deficit the Warhawks couldn’t recover from. App State took the final set 15-8 after a kill from Denny and secured the match, 3-2.
