By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Redshirt senior Myles Tate has been a part of many clutch moments in his short basketball career at App State but none more clutch than in the end of the Nov. 24 game vs. William & Mary at the Holmes Convocation Center.

In a play drawn up with 19 seconds left — for Tate to take the final shot — and the game tied 76-76, Tate received the inbounds pass, worked the ball to the top of the 3-point arc, but found himself well-defended. Out of the corner of his eye (with seven seconds remaining), the veteran guard saw teammate Dior Conners open on the left wing.

“It was muscle memory,” said Conners to reporters later, explaining how he had received the pass with two seconds left, got the shot off with 0.2 showing on the clock after the ball had left his hands, then joined the exuberant celebration as the ball ripped through the net for the win, 79-76.

Muscle memory, to be sure, those hours, days and weeks of practicing for just those moments paying off.

It was fitting drama for head coach Dustin Kerns’ 100th win at the helm of the Mountaineer program and the third fastest to get there at 167 games, surpassing Bobby Cremins and Bob Light, who each required 170 games.

Although the Mountaineers led by 19 points, 53-34, with just over 17 and a half minutes remaining in the game and by 17 points with 12:35 left, 58-41, the Tribe battled back to tie the game at 76-all with 19 seconds left, helped by key 3-pointers off the hands of freshman guard from Arizona, Gabe Dorsey, and junior guard from Silver Spring, Md., Kyle Pulliam, complimented by crafty inside play from Noah Collier, a senior forward who transferred from the University of Pittsburgh in 2022.

It was Collier, in fact, who made a shot inside with 19 seconds remaining, to close within a point at 76-75, but was also fouled on the play and drained his third free throw of the evening to tie things up.

It was perhaps fitting that a 3-pointer proved the buzzer-beating difference for the win. The Mountaineers had jumped out to the big early lead in the first half on the strength of 55.6 percent shooting from beyond the arc (10-of-18) before “cooling” to a 45.5 percent clip (5-of-11) in the second half. Conners was a torrid 5-of-8 (62.5 percent) from long range for the game while teammate Jamil Muttilib was 4-of-7 (57.1 percent) from 3-point land.

Muttilib is a Houston native and junior transfer from Kilgore College, a small junior college in Kilgore, Texas, averaged 19 points per game for the Rangers.

Conners, an Ohio native, also joined the Mountaineers this year from the junior college ranks, transferring as a junior from Triton College in River Grove, Ill., a western Chicago suburb. He drained 137 career 3-pointers in his two seasons at Triton, while helping the Trojans to a 34-3 record and NJCAA National runner-up finish a year ago.

In speaking with reporters after the game, Kerns said one of the things the coaches had asked of Muttilib and Conners is that the score more, having arrived at App State with those scoring pedigrees.

Kerns also was quick to point out the magnitude of Tate’s selfless moment in passing the ball to an open teammate on a play designed for him to take the shot.

“There are a lot of guys who would have taken the shot anyway,” said Kerns, praising Tate for recognizing the moment, that he was well guarded and trusting his open teammate.

App State finished the game shooting almost 52 percent from long distance against the Tribe, which countered with only a 29 percent clip, 9-of-31, from beyond the arc. Where William & Mary was able to keep it close, though, was a 17-7 point differential in second chance points, hitting on 9-of-10 free throws (90 percent), a 27-17 advantage in points from their bench, and a surprisingly stronger rate of production inside, tallying 40 points in the paint vs. only 18 for the Mountaineers.

Four App State players scored in double figures on the afternoon, including a game-high 20 by Tate, 15 by Conners, 14 from C J Huntley, and 12 from Muttilib. Tate also dished out 10 assists for the first double-double of his App State career. Collier pulled in a game-high 8 rebounds for The Tribe, with Jamil Beaubrun the Mountaineers’ leader on the boards, with 7 rebounds. Jackson Threadgill, Tate, and Michael Marcus, Jr. led the Mountaineers with two steals each.

The Mountaineers’ dismal performance at the free throw line is of concern as the season progresses. Through Nov. 23 games, App State was No. 352 out of 355 NCAA Division I men’s basketball programs, with a free throw percentage of just 57.89 percent, according to statistics maintained and published by the NCAA.

App State (3-2) will spend Thanksgiving in Wilmington, N.C., playing three games beginning with Sam Houston State (3-2) on Wednesday, Nov. 27, 4 p.m.,  in the first game of the Live Oak Bank Holiday Classic hosted by UNCW. They return to the UNCW court on Friday, Nov. 29, for a noon encounter with Colgate University (1-4). They close the tournament on Nov. 30, in a 3 p.m. tilt vs. UNCW (3-1).

By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Helped by James Madison turnovers and penalties, App State overcame another early deficit to record an emotional, Senior Day win on Nov. 23, 34-20.

The Dukes started the game looking like the 8-2 record they brought to Kidd Brewer Stadium. An 8-play, 74-yard scoring drive on the game’s opening possession and another TD pass near the start of the second quarter put JMU up 14-0, looking too easy for the visitors from Harrisonburg, Va. Couple those with the Mountaineers’ three consecutive punts on its first offensive possessions, including two 3-and-outs, and this one had the makings of a lopsided loss.

But a forced fumble, a turnover on downs and a stellar defensive effort by the Mountaineers to hold James Madison to only another field goal in the second quarter turned the tide for App State. Three TDs plus a field goal by the Mountaineers before halftime gave the 34,012 mostly App State faithful something to cheer about, taking a 24-17 lead into the locker room for intermission.

And each of those second quarter scores had special elements. With 12:19 remaining in the half, placekicker Michael Hughes celebrated his return from injury with a 23-yard field goal. Tight end Eli Wilson, in his first action since being injured earlier in the season, was on the receiving end of a play action flare pass that found the fifth year senior wide open on the right side, punctuated by a high-stepping TD.

And it only got better. As the game clock was winding down before halftime, with the ball at the App State 36 on first down but just 1:23 remaining, senior QB Joey Aguilar dropped back and found wide receiver Makai Jackson racing down the sideline. The junior from Croydon, Pa., gathered the ball in over his right shoulder in stride at the JMU 22 and outsprinted the closest defender the rest of the way for a 64-yard TD completion. It was just the explosive offensive play the Mountaineers needed to get completely untracked, tying the game at 17-17 with another Hughes PAT kick.

Six plays later, after App State’s defense left the Dukes with a 4th-and-8 on their own 39 yard line, Cahari Haynes blocked the punt attempt and Michael Hetzel plucked the loose ball from the ground for a thrilling, “scoop and score” that further energized the AppNation crowd with just 48 seconds remaining before the half.

In a back and forth, mostly defensive second half, the Mountaineers limited James Madison to just one more field goal, an impressive 52-yarder and career long for Noe Ruelas. Also in the second half, App State added another 41-yard field goal by Hughes and an impressive, 10-play TD scoring drive to extend the lead.

On paper, James Madison outgained the Mountaineers in total yards, 400-361, and had possession for 34:05 vs. App State’s 25:55. But where the Mountaineers were 3-3 upon getting into the red zone, JMU was only able to convert on one out of two trips. Mostly, the Dukes fell victim to the early fumble, a late interception, the blocked punt and nine drive-killing penalties for 69 lost yards — while App State was never penalized even a single time.

Looking ahead, the Mountaineers have a Nov. 30 tilt at Georgia Southern. Currently at 5-5, App State needs a win in Statesboro, Ga. in the final regular season game to become bowl eligible.

Post-game notes, courtesy of App State Athletics

• With the victory, App State evened its season record to 5-5 and moved to 3-4 in Sun Belt play. A win at Georgia Southern on Nov. 30 would make the Mountaineers bowl eligible for the ninth time in 10 seasons as a postseason-eligible FBS member.
• This was App State’s 100th win since transitioning to the FBS level in 2014. The only FBS programs with more than 100 wins during that span are Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State, Georgia, Oklahoma, Notre Dame, Boise State and Oregon.
• App State improved to 14-5 all-time against JMU and won for the second straight year. The Mountaineers have a 2-1 edge in the series since both programs moved up to FBS.
• Attendance at Kidd Brewer Stadium was 34,012 for the Mountaineers’ final home game of the season. App State’s average home attendance of 34,622 this season is the second-highest average in school and Sun Belt Conference history behind last year’s average of 34,734.
• This was the 11th straight sellout at The Rock dating back to last season, and that includes the Sept. 28 contest that was canceled due to Hurricane Helene.
• The Mountaineers finished the home season with a 4-1 record at The Rock, making it the ninth time in the last 10 seasons with one or fewer home losses.
• App State won on Senior Day at Kidd Brewer Stadium for the 26th time in the last 27 years.
• The Mountaineers’ .838 home winning percentage since 2014 is eighth-best in the FBS behind only Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State, Georgia, Oregon, Oklahoma and Memphis.
• This was the Mountaineers’ second win of the season after trailing by multiple touchdowns. App State rallied from down 14-0 against JMU and down 16-0 against East Carolina to earn 34-20 and 21-19 victories, respectively. The team also trailed ODU by a 17-7 margin before winning that game 28-20.
• App State improved to 20-1 when winning the turnover battle during head coach Shawn Clark’s tenure.
• Special guests at the game included retired NFL star and media personality, Jason Kelce, retired NFL player and App State alum, Daniel Kilgore, and current Tampa Bay Rays pitcher and App State alum, Jeffrey Springs.
• Safety Zyeir Gamble and wide receiver Michael Hetzel earned their first career starts.

OFFENSE

• Quarterback Joey Aguilar went 12-for-23 for 216 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. It was his seventh game this season with multiple touchdown passes and the 18th time in his 24 games as App State’s QB.
• In the first game without leading receiver Kaedin Robinson, Makai Jackson starred with five catches for a career-high 162 yards and a touchdown. It was the most receiving yards by a Mountaineer this season and the most since Christan Horn’s 165 yards against Southern Miss last year.
• Ahmani Marshall went over the century mark in rushing yards (108) for the fourth straight game, scoring his fourth touchdown in that span.
• Eli Wilson caught four passes for 32 yards and a touchdown after missing the previous two games with an injury.

DEFENSE

• For the second time in three games, Shawn Collins made a momentum-swinging strip sack. This time he recovered his own forced fumble that gave the ball to the Mountaineers and turned into a touchdown drive that cut the early deficit to 14-10.
• After allowing 14 points in the first 16 minutes of the game, App State’s defense held JMU to just a pair of field goals the rest of the way. The Dukes managed only 135 total yards after halftime.
• App State had four sacks on the day. In addition to Collins, Michael Fletcher had a pair of sacks, and Santana Hopper had one sack among his 2.5 tackles for loss.
• Jason Chambers snagged his first career interception with a big fourth quarter takeaway.
• Linebackers Brendan Harrington and Kyle Arnholt led App State with 11 tackles apiece, matching a career high for Harrington and setting a career high for Arnholt.

SPECIAL TEAMS

• Perhaps the biggest play of the day was App State’s first punt block returned for a touchdown since 2019, as Cahari Haynes burst through JMU’s line to block a second-quarter punt that was then knocked around and picked up by Michael Hetzel who carried it into the end zone. It was the Mountaineers’ go-ahead touchdown to completely erase an early 14-0 deficit and take a 24-17 lead into halftime.
• In his return to the field after missing five games due to injury, Michael Hughes connected on a 23-yard field goal in the second quarter and then a 41-yarder in the fourth quarter that was the game’s final score.

By Katherine Jamtgaard. FOLEY, Ala. — The No. 1 seed App State volleyball team’s Sun Belt Tournament run was cut short in the semifinal round after the Mountaineers fell to the West Division’s No. 2 seed, Texas State, in three sets (18-25, 24-26, 18-25). Saturday marked App State’s first SBC Tournament semifinal appearance since 2018 and the first of the Rumely Noble era.

“I’m beyond proud of our team,” said head coach Sarah Rumely Noble. “We played our hearts out and never backed down. It’s a huge step for our program to earn our way into the semifinals and I’m beyond excited for our future.”

Texas State 3, App State 0

Senior Lulu Ambrose led the Mountaineers with 10 kills and three aces. Sophomore Ava Leahy made a team high two blocks, both solo, and recorded seven kills. Graduate student Cierra Huntley and freshman Elise Marchal matched with five kills apiece. Marchal also made 10 digs on the day. Redshirt junior Addison Heidemann accounted for 27 of App State’s 29 assists, while junior Kenady Roper made a team high 11 digs.

App State jumped ahead, 2-0, to start the first set after a Bobcat error and a Leahy kill. After another Bobcat error and a kill from Ambrose, the Mountaineers took a 4-3 edge. Building off a 9-2 run, Texas State took a 12-6 lead. An ace from junior Maya Winterhoff, a kill from Leahy, and a pair of Bobcat errors brought the Mountaineers within three (13-10), but Texas State extended the lead with a 5-0 run. The Black and Gold chipped away at the deficit with kills from Leahy, Ambrose, Marchal, and Winterhoff. The Mountaineers held Texas State to a pair of set points with a kill from Marchal and an Ambrose ace, but it wasn’t enough as the Bobcats sealed the set, 25-18. App State managed to hold Texas State to eight kills in the first set while slamming down 12.

In the second set, App State and Texas State knotted the score 12 times, swapped the lead on five occasions, and matched with 13 kills apiece. Heidemann set Ambrose up for the first kill of the set, and the Mountaineers established a 7-2 lead with a 5-0 run that featured kills from Ambrose and Huntley as well as an Ambrose ace. Texas State answered with a 4-0 run of its own to come within one, but a kill from Huntley kept App State ahead, 8-6. As Texas State took an 11-10 edge, Leahy and Ambrose made kills to push the Black and Gold ahead, 13-11. With a 6-1 run, the Bobcats pulled ahead, 17-14. The Mountaineers managed to meet the Bobcats at 18 all with a kill and ace from Ambrose, a kill from Huntley, and a Texas State error. Texas State pulled away with a 3-0 run, which App State answered with a 3-0 run of its own to match at 21 all. App State reached set point at 24-23 after a kill from Ambrose and a Bobcat error, but Texas State edged ahead with a 3-0 run to take the set, 26-24.

In the third and final set, Texas State took control of the lead with a 5-0 run. App State chipped away at the deficit with kills from Ambrose and Winterhoff and an ace from Roper. Down 10-5, a Huntley kill, a kill and solo block from Leahy, and a pair of Bobcat errors brought App State within three (13-10). A Bobcat service error and a block from the duo of Ambrose and Winterhoff cut the deficit to two at 14-12. Texas State managed to pull away, and despite a kill from Leahy, the Bobcats sealed the set, 25-18, and the match 3-0.

2024 Sun Belt Volleyball Tournament Schedule & Results
Nov. 21-24, 2024 | Foley, Ala. | Foley Sports Tourism Complex

First Round Results

(5E) Georgia State 3, (4W) Troy 2
(4E) Coastal Carolina 3, (5W) Southern Miss 1

Quarterfinal Results

(2W) Texas State 3, (3E) James Madison 0
(1E) App State 3, (5E) Georgia State 2
(1W) Arkansas State 3, (4E) Coastal Carolina 2
(2E) Georgia Southern 3, (3W) South Alabama 0

Semifinals – Sat. Nov. 23

(2W) Texas State 3, (1E) App State 0
Match 8 – 6:00 p.m. (5:00 p.m. CT) – (1W) Arkansas State vs. (2E) Georgia Southern

Championship – Sun. Nov. 24

Match 9 – 4:00 p.m. ET (3:00 p.m. CT) – (2W) Texas State vs. Winner Match 8

By Bret Strelow. BOONE, N.C. — The opening home dual of App State Wrestling’s 2024-25 season featured more significant firsts.

The Mountaineers won two matches and held late leads in two other high-profile battles during a 37-8 loss to No. 19 West Virginia on a cold, snowy Friday that didn’t deter an enthusiastic crowd. It was the debut for a new-look Varsity Gym, highlighted by the unveiling of a C. Philip Byers Scoreboard with video capabilities and a Barker Arena display. Spectators filled new premium bleacher seats on the main floor of Varsity, putting groups of fans on three sides of a new competition mat.

“It was a really awesome atmosphere tonight, and I’m really thankful for our fans and all of App Nation that showed up,” App State head coach JohnMark Bentley said. “It was a great atmosphere to compete in. Obviously, I wish we would have performed a little better, but the venue was awesome.”

Carson Floyd’s overtime takedown gave him a 4-1 decision over Rune Lawrence at 197 pounds, and Kaden Keiser’s 21-5 tech fall of Blake Boyers at 149 pounds produced five team points for the Mountaineers (0-2 with a pair of losses to top-20 opponents).

West Virginia (3-0) earned bonus points in six of its eight wins.

Finishing the first period on top, eighth-ranked Will Miller held a 3-1 lead with 1:41 in riding time entering the third period at 165 pounds against third-ranked Peyton Hall, a two-time All-American. Miller went up 4-1 on an escape early in the third and nearly followed that with a takedown, but Hall prevented a score and produced a tying takedown with 43 seconds left.

With Miller’s riding time falling under a minute, he was unable to record a tiebreaking escape. Instead, Hall put Miller in a compromised position that led to a signal for back points before ending the match by fall with 11 seconds left.

The other dramatic match started the dual, as App State’s Chad Bellis jumped out to a 7-1 lead on No. 25 Jett Strickenberger at 133 pounds thanks to a takedown in both the first and second periods. Strickenberger cut his deficit to 7-5 on a takedown with 1:11 left in the third period and tied the match at 8-all on a takedown with 20 seconds remaining. He forced overtime by staying on top for the remainder of regulation and capped an 11-8 comeback win with a Sudden Victory takedown.

The 2024-25 season is presented by Hungry Howie’s and Penn Station. App State returns to action Dec. 6 at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational.

West Virginia 37, App State 8

• 133: #25 Jett Strickenberger (WVU) def. Chad Bellis (APP). 11-8 dec. (SV)
• 141: #11 Jordan Titus (WVU) def. Riley Edwards (APP), 17-2 tech fall
• 149: Kaden Keiser (APP) def. Blake Boyers (WVU), 21-5 tech fall
• 157: Sasha Gavronsky (WVU) def. Jeremiah Price (APP), fall (1:06)
• 165: #3 Peyton Hall (WVU) def. #8 Will Miller (APP), fall (6:49)
• 174: #30 Brody Conley (WVU) def. Luke Uliano (APP), 4-0 dec.
• 184: Dennis Robin (WVU) def. Logan Eller (APP), 14-6 maj. dec.
• 197: Carson Floyd (APP) def. Rune Lawrence (WVU), 4-1 dec. (SV)
• Hwt: #29 Michael Wolfgram (WVU) def. Stephan Monchery (APP), 11-1 maj. dec.
• 125: Jace Schafer (WVU) def. Noah Luna (APP), fall (5:42)

Attendance: 897

By Katherine Jamtgaard. FOLEY, Ala. – The No. 1 seed App State volleyball team opened play in the Sun Belt Tournament with a 3-2 (28-26, 21-25, 25-22, 15-25, 15-8) victory over No. 5 seeded Georgia State in Friday’s quarterfinal round. With the win, the Mountaineers advance to Saturday’s semifinal match against the West Division’s No. 2 seed Texas State. It will mark App State’s first appearance in the semifinal match since the 2018 tournament. Saturday’s match is slated for 3 p.m. ET (2 p.m. CT) and will be available to stream on ESPN+.

“We’re super excited to be advancing to the semifinals after a five-setter. We thrive in five-setters. We’ve done a good job in them all year and today was no different,” said head coach Sarah Rumely Noble. “I’m super proud of our team for always finding a way to win. We talk about that all the time, to just find a way. They did that today and that’s what matters when you’re in a championship segment.”

App State 3, Georgia State 2

Junior Maya Winterhoff led the team with 15 kills and recorded a hitting percentage of .313 on the day. Senior Lulu Ambrose and sophomore Ava Leahy matched with 14 kills apiece and hitting percentages of .333. Leahy also led the team in blocks, totaling seven (two solo, five assists). Redshirt junior Addison Heidemann accounted for 54 of the Mountaineers’ 57 assists and junior Kenady Roper tallied a team high 22 digs. Sophomore Caroline Farthing served up three of App State’s nine aces.

The Mountaineers outpaced the Panthers in kills (61-56), aces (9-7), and assists (57-53). The Black and Gold also held the Panthers to three kills in the fifth and final set.

Ambrose opened the first set with a solo block. App State took a 6-2 lead, building off kills from Winterhoff and Leahy and a block from the duo of Heidemann and Leahy. Georgia State managed to catch up and take an 11-10 edge with a 5-0 run. Over the course of the set, the Mountaineers and Panthers knotted the score 14 times. Kills from Winterhoff and Ambrose gave the Mountaineers a 21-20 edge. The Mountaineers reached set point (24-23) after a kill from Marchal and a pair of kills from Leahy. Georgia State managed to knot the score at 24 all. Heidemann set Hutchens up for a kill to push App State ahead, 25-24. As the Panthers knotted the score at 25 all, a Winterhoff kill pushed the Mountaineers ahead, 26-25. GSU managed to knot the score one last time before a kill from Ambrose and a Panther error clinched the set for the Mountaineers, 28-26.

In the second set, the Mountaineers and Panthers knotted the score 12 times and swapped the lead seven times. App State took an early 2-0 lead after a kill from Ambrose and a Winterhoff ace. Another Ambrose kill and a Marchal ace kept App State up, 4-3. As GSU took an 8-6 lead, the Mountaineers answered with a 6-0 run that included kills from Winterhoff, Hutchens, and McNear as well as a block from the duo of Winterhoff and Marchal. GSU found momentum midway through the set to take a 13-12 edge, but a solo block from Winterhoff and a trio of kills from Ambrose pushed App State ahead, 16-15. Despite kills from Leahy and Winterhoff, Georgia State took the set, 25-21.

Winterhoff opened the third set with a kill. The Mountaineers and Panthers tied on six occasions and swapped the lead twice. App State broke a 7-7 tie with a 6-0 run that included back-to-back kills from Leahy, a kill from Hutchens, a block from the duo of Heidemann and Leahy, and an Ambrose ace. As GSU chipped away at the lead, the Mountaineers built off kills from Hutchens and Marchal, a block from the duo of Marchal and Leahy, a block from Leahy and Ambrose, and a solo block from Leahy to take a 22-17 lead. Kills from Leahy and Winterhoff, in addition to a GSU error, sealed the set for the Mountaineers, 25-22.

In the fourth set, App State and Georgia State traded the lead twice. The Mountaineers took an early 5-3 lead after a Marchal kill, back-to-back aces from Farthing, and a GSU error. Georgia State found momentum to take a 20-13 lead despite a quartet of kills from Winterhoff. Leahy and Ambrose slammed down kills, but it wasn’t enough as Georgia State took the set, 25-15.

App State got to work in the fifth and final set, only allowing Georgia State a 2-1 lead. The Mountaineers went on a 7-1 run, building off a trio of Ambrose kills, a block from Marchal and Winterhoff, a GSU error, an Ambrose ace, and a kill from Hutchens. The Black and Gold extended its lead to 13-5 after a kill from Marchal, a block from Leahy and Marchal, and a trio of GSU errors. Heidemann set Leahy up for a kill, which brought the Mountaineers to set point (14-6). Leahy made the final kill to clinch the set 15-8, and the match 3-2.

Scouting Texas State

App State is 1-1 against Texas State in the Sun Belt Tournament. App State and Texas State first met in the semifinal round of the 2015 tournament, where the Mountaineers swept the Bobcats on the road to the championship. The Mountaineers and Bobcats met again in the 2018 SBC Championship. App State fell short the Texas State in three sets.

The Mountaineers and Bobcats last met during the 2021 campaign, but App State fell short in four sets. Texas State leads the series, 8-3.

Ryann Torres was named the 2024 SBC Setter of the Year and earned First Team All-SBC honors alongside Samantha Wunsch and Jade Defraeye. Torres leads the team with 976 assists (10.27 assists per set) while Wunsch leads the team with 373 kills, averaging 3.77 kills per set. Leading the team in the digs category is Alyssa Ortega, who had 409 digs on the season and 4.13 digs per set. Mj Mccurdy has a team-high 24 aces on the fall and Defraeye has a team-high 120 blocks.

Texas State advanced to the semifinal after sweeping No. 3 seeded James Madison in Friday’s morning quarterfinal match. The Bobcats are 20-8 (13-3 SBC) and have won their last nine matches, posting a pair of wins over ULM, Southern Miss, Coastal Carolina, and a trio of wins over JMU. Texas State also posted victories over Louisiana and Troy, in addition to splitting with Arkansas State. The Bobcats have tallied 14 sweeps and three five-set victories this fall.

Looking Ahead

The winner of Saturday’s semifinal match will advance to Sunday’s 4 p.m. ET (3 p.m. CT) championship match.

2024 Sun Belt Volleyball Tournament Schedule & Results
Nov. 21-24, 2024 | Foley, Ala. | Foley Sports Tourism Complex

First Round Results

(5E) Georgia State 3, (4W) Troy 2
(4E) Coastal Carolina 3, (5W) Southern Miss 1

Quarterfinal Results

(2W) Texas State 3, (3E) James Madison 0
(1E) App State 3, (5E) Georgia State 2
Match 5 – 5:30 p.m. (4:30 p.m. CT) – (1W) Arkansas State vs. (4E) Coastal Carolina
Match 6 – 8 p.m. ET (7:00 p.m. CT) – (2E) Georgia Southern vs. (3W) South Alabama

Semifinals – Sat. Nov. 23

Match 7 – 3:00 p.m. ET (2:00 p.m. CT) – (1E) App State vs. (2W) Texas State
Match 8 – 6:00 p.m. (5:00 p.m. CT) – Winner Match 5 vs. Winner Match 6

Championship – Sun. Nov. 24

Match 9 – 4:00 p.m. ET (3:00 p.m. CT) – Winner Match 7 vs. Winner Match 8

By Zach Smith. BOONE, N.C. — A career-defining performance from graduate forward CJ Huntley led the Mountaineers over Queens Nov. 19. App State closed out a low-scoring battle with the Royals, winning 65-53, in front of 2,678paid attendance.

Huntley led the way for the Mountaineers with a career-high 27-point performance, while senior guard Myles Tate netted 19 of his own. Huntley and Tate both posted eight rebounds, also leading the team.

Queens had just one player reach double-digit points, freshman guard Asjon Anderson with 13. Senior center Malcolm Wilson used every inch of his seven-foot height on his way to blocking six shots and grabbing 10 rebounds.

The game began with three minutes of no score before Tate found Huntley on an alley-oop, before a deadlock at 4-4 entering the first media timeout. Later in the half, the Mountaineers found themselves trailing their visitors by five, 17-22. App State then went on a 14-2 run to close the opening period, punctuated by a dramatic buzzer-beater by Tate, a three-pointer just before time expired. The 3-pointer gave the Mountaineers a 31-24 lead at the break.

Coming out of the locker room, Huntley drained a three-pointer before App State went on a scoring drought of nearly three minutes. Fortunately for the hosts, Queens was able to make just one shot from the field during that stretch, a three-pointer off the hands of Anderson. Two Tate free-throws and another Anderson three-pointer later, the Mountaineers went on a 6-0 scoring run to extend their lead to 12. With just under four minutes on the clock, Huntley hit on a layup through traffic to secure his career-high in both points and field goals made. The 6-11 forward followed that up with a three-pointer to secure his 27th point of the night.

As a team, App State shot at a 47% mark, topping Queens’ 32% clip. The Mountaineers outrebounded the Royals, 43-39, and forced the visitors to shoot just 6-37 from beyond the arc.

App State head coach Dustin Kerns shared his thoughts on his team’s 65-53 victory postgame.

“Queens is a team that, I think, in three of the last five years have won 30 games,” Kerns said. “They’ve got a really good program, and a program of winning. So, a hard fought, App State kind of ‘grind it out’ win. Really proud of our guys.”

Kerns went on to speak of CJ Huntley’s performance in practice leading to his career night.

“He had a really good week of practice,” Kerns said. “When you talk to your players about the importance of practice and every rep, not taking those things for granted, it pays off. CJ is going to be a perfect example. [It will] be easy for me, when we get back with our team on Thursday (Nov. 21), to say ‘listen, we all know CJ practiced really well, and he played well.’ So, really proud of him.”

The Mountaineers kicked off a stretch of seven straight games in North Carolina with their victory over Queens, including a tournament series in Wilmington. Kerns spoke on the importance of playing in-state games.

“It’s very important for us to play in-state,” Kerns said. “Certainly, we try to. We’ve played a lot of teams in the Carolinas, a lot of teams in this region, so, certainly it’s very important. We’ve got so many passionate fans and alumni.”

Queens drops to 2-3 with the loss. The Royals look ahead to Nov. 23, when they face South Carolina-Upstate at East Tennessee State’s tournament. Tipoff is set for 6:00p.m..

App State improves to 2-2 with their victory. The Mountaineers face William & Mary Nov. 24, where Dustin Kerns looks to become the fourth-fasted Mountaineer head coach to reach 100 career wins. Tipoff at the Holmes Center is slated for 1:00p.m..

By Katherine Jamtgaard. NEW ORLEANS, La. — The App State Volleyball team earned the Sun Belt East Division’s No. 1 seed in the 2024 SBC Volleyball Championship bracket, the league announced on Nov. 16.

As the East’s No. 1 seed, App State enters the tournament in the quarterfinal round on Friday, Nov. 22 (2:30 p.m. ET, 1:30 p.m. CT). The Mountaineers will face the winner of the match between West No. 4 seed Troy and East No. 5 seed Georgia State. App State’s opponent will be determined after Thursday’s 2:30 p.m. ET (1:30 p.m. CT) first-round matchup between the Trojans and the Panthers.

Head coach Sarah Rumely Noble’s squad is the first App State team to earn the East’s No. 1 seed since the conference began divisional seeding in 2020.

Since joining the conference, the Mountaineers and Trojans have met twice in the SBC Tournament. App State swept the Trojans, 3-0, in the quarterfinal round of the 2015 tournament on the way to the SBC championship match. Last season, the No. 6-seeded Mountaineers fell short to the No. 3-seeded Trojans in the second round. App State and Georgia State have yet to meet in the Sun Belt Tournament.

This is the first season that the tournament field will feature only 10 of the Sun Belt’s 14 teams.

Season Review

App State clinched the Sun Belt East Division title for the first time since 2018 and are 17-8 (11-3 SBC) this fall. The Mountaineers went on a seven-match win streak from Oct. 24 to Nov. 14. App State’s conference stretch was highlighted by the program’s first back-to-back victories over James Madison since the Dukes joined the Sun Belt as well as the first pair of wins over Coastal Carolina since the 2018 campaign. Only dropping a match to Old Dominion on Oct. 12 and Georgia State on Oct. 19, the Mountaineers clinched the division title with a 3-0 sweep of Marshall on Nov. 8. The Black and Gold split its final matches with Troy, defeating the Trojans, 3-2, on Nov. 14 before falling short by a 3-1 margin on Nov. 15.

In nonconference action, App State swept Gardner-Webb (Sept. 7) and Winthrop (Sept. 13) and posted five-set victories over Xavier (Aug. 30), ETSU (Sept. 6) and Wofford (Sept. 14).

Individually, redshirt-junior Addison Heidemann garnered a pair of Sun Belt Setter of the Week honors. Heidemann was the first Mountaineer to earn the SBC Setter of the Week distinction since 2019. She first earned the accolade for her performance at the Wake Forest Invitational (Sept. 20-21), where she totaled 93 assists and helped the Mountaineers to a .329 team hitting percentage. She collected her second honor after the Mountaineers clinched the SBC East Division title with a pair of victories over Marshall (Nov. 8-9). Against the Thundering Herd, she totaled 99 assists, averaging 12.38 per set. She also served up three aces, made 11 digs, and went up for one block.

Senior Lulu Ambrose surpassed 1,000 career kills in the Mountaineers’ regular season finale against Troy on Nov. 15. In her time at App State, Ambrose has tallied 1,002 career kills, averaging 2.41 kills per set, in addition to 262 career digs. This season, Ambrose has tallied 265 kills and 104 digs.

Road to the NCAA Championship

The winner of the Sun Belt Volleyball Championship will earn one of 32 automatic bids to the NCAA Tournament. The Dec. 1 selection show will announce the remaining 32 teams, selected at-large, that will fill out the field of 64.

The first and second rounds will be held Dec. 5-7 at non-predetermined campus sites. Regionals will be held Dec. 12-15, also at non-predetermined campus sites, and the semifinal and championship rounds will be held Dec.19-22 at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Ky.

2024 Sun Belt Volleyball Tournament Schedule
Nov. 21-24, 2024 | Foley, Ala. | Foley Sports Tourism Complex

First Round – Thurs. Nov. 21

• Match 1 – 2:30 p.m. ET (1:30 p.m. CT) – (4W) Troy vs. (5E) Georgia State
• Match 2 – 5:30 p.m. ET (4:30 p.m. CT) – (4E) Coastal Carolina vs. (5W) Southern Miss

Quarterfinals – Fri. Nov. 22

• Match 3 – 12:00 p.m. ET (11:00 a.m. CT) – (2W) Texas State vs. (3E) James Madison
• Match 4 – 2:30 p.m. ET (1:30 p.m. CT) – (1E) App State vs. Winner Match 1
• Match 5 – 5:30 p.m. (4:30 p.m. CT) – (1W) Arkansas State vs. Winner Match 2
• Match 6 – 8 p.m. ET (7:00 p.m. CT) – (2E) Georgia Southern vs. (3W) South Alabama

Semifinals – Sat. Nov. 23

• Match 7 – 3:00 p.m. ET (2:00 p.m. CT) – Winner Match 3 vs. Winner Match 4
• Match 8 – 6:00 p.m. (5:00 p.m. CT) – Winner Match 5 vs. Winner Match 6

Championship – Sun. Nov. 24

• Match 9 – 4:00 p.m. ET (3:00 p.m. CT) – Winner Match 7 vs. Winner Match 8