By Katherine Jamtgaard. BOONE, N.C. — The App State volleyball team swept Gardner-Webb, 3-0 (25-21, 25-17, 25-22), in the Mountaineer Classic finale on Saturday, improving to 3-3 on the season.
“I’m proud of our team after three hard-fought matches,” said head coach Sarah Rumely Noble. “We got to see a lot of different combinations of players this weekend and I know we got better this week. This team wants to be good and is driven to that end when they step on the court.”
Junior Maya Winterhoff and sophomore Ava Leahy landed on the Mountaineer Classic All-Tournament Team for their efforts over the weekend. Both started all three matches and appeared in all 11 sets over the weekend. Winterhoff, who was also tabbed as a Preseason All-SBC selection and was named to the Bobcat Invitational All-Tournament, totaled 31 kills on the weekend for a hitting percentage of .429. She also made nine block assists, five digs, and served up one ace. Across the three matches, Winterhoff averaged 2.82 kills per set and 3.32 points per set. Leahy tallied 22 kills on the weekend and a hitting percentage of .378. She also made seven blocks (one solo, six assists) on the weekend. Leahy averaged two kills per set and 2.36 points per set.
Match Notes
Freshman Maddie Smith led the team with 14 kills, while sophomore Caroline Farthing made a team-high 13 digs. Freshman Julianna Horta made 19 assists and served up two aces, while redshirt-junior Addison Heidemann led the team in the aces category, with up three. She also made 13 assists and 11 digs. Winterhoff made a team-high three blocks against Gardner-Webb. App State outpaced Gardner-Webb in the points, kills, aces, assists, and digs categories and tallied 15 kills in each set.
In the first set, Gardner-Webb only held a lead for its first four points, before the Mountaineers took a 6-4 edge with back-to-back kills from freshman Maddie Smith and Winterhoff. The Bulldogs answered with a kill before App State distanced itself with a 9-2 run, building off kills from senior Lulu Ambrose, freshman Bella Hutchens, and Leahy, as well as a pair of Horta aces, and a solo block from Leahy, which pushed the Mountaineers to a 15-7 lead. A kill from Marchal, an ace from junior Kenady Roper, and a block from the duo of Marchal and Winterhoff put the Black and Gold up 19-10. The Bulldogs worked to close the deficit with a pair of 4-0 runs, cutting App State’s lead to two at 23-21. A kill from Leahy and a Bulldog error sealed the point for the Mountaineers, 25-21.
A kill from Elise Marchal put the Mountaineers on the board early in the second set. A Smith kill, followed by a block from Smith and Winterhoff, and an ace from Heidemann, established a 4-1 lead. After a trio of 3-0 runs, the Mountaineers pulled ahead, 15-6. Late in the set, App State took a 22-10 lead after a 4-0 run that included a block from Winterhoff and Horta and kills from Leahy and Ambrose. The Bulldogs answered with a 7-1 run, but Leahy made back-to-back kills as the Mountaineers took the set, 25-17. The Mountaineers held the Bulldogs to eight kills in the second set.
The Mountaineers and Bulldogs fought point-for-point in the third and final set. Gardner-Webb took a 12-8 lead with a 4-0 run, but the Black and Gold fought back with a 6-1 run of its own, building off kills from Leahy, Winterhoff, Smith, and a Heidemann ace to take a 14-13 edge. The Bulldogs pulled ahead, 16-14, but the Mountaineers were quick to answer with kills from Winterhoff and an ace from Farthing to regain an 18-16 edge. App State held the lead for the remainder of the match as Leahy made two kills and Smith tallied three more kills to bring App State to set and match point. App State won the set and the match after a final kill from Winterhoff.
All-Tournament Selections
Maya Winterhoff – App State
Ava Leahy – App State
Amanda Lowe – ETSU
Whitley Rammel – ETSU
Manu Johnsen – Kennesaw State
Olivia Burrage – Kennesaw State
Molly Littlefield – Gardner-Webb
