BOONE, N.C. – The Appalachian State volleyball team will face its first SoCon road tests this season when it travels to Elon and UNCG this weekend.
The Mountaineers (10-6, 2-0) earned two wins on the opening weekend of SoCon play. The Apps picked up a 3-1 win over Samford last Saturday and swept Chattanooga, 3-0, on Sunday.
ASU will face Elon (11-6, 0-2) at 7 p.m. ET on Saturday before traveling to UNCG (9-8, 2-0) for a 5 p.m. match on Sunday. Should Appalachian and UNCG win on Saturday, it would make Sunday's match a battle for sole possession of first place in the SoCon North.
All About the Apps
Appalachian State • 10-6
• ASU is 10-6 overall on the season.
• Appalachian's 10-6 record is its second-best start through 16 matches since Ginipro arrived in the High Country. The team's best mark through 16 matches was last season when it was 12-4.
• The Apps enter the weekend on a season-high five-match winning streak after taking down Wake Forest last Tuesday and winning their first two SoCon matches against Samford and UTC over the weekend.
• Appalachian's two wins to open SoCon play marked the third-straight year that ASU has opened conference play 2-0.
• The Mountaineers' current winning streak is the third-longest such streak under head coach Matt Ginipro. The 2007 squad reeled off 14-straight while last year's team peaked at six-straight.
• Appalachian has not allowed an opponent to win two sets since a 3-0 loss to Georgetown on Sept. 16.
• The Apps have won 15 of their last 17 sets including three sweeps in their last five matches.
• Appalachian entered the week ranked in the top 60 nationally in hitting percentage (49th/.246), kills per set (53rd/13.63) and assists per set (55th/12.66).
• In addition to the team's top-60 rankings, senior middle blocker Alison Blasingame ranks 94th nationally in hitting percentage (.339).
• Appalachian is 1-2 in road matches this season, 3-3 in neutral site matches and 6-1 at home.
•The Mountaineers are looking to snap a three-match SoCon road skid this weekend.
• The Apps' last SoCon road win came on Oct. 17, 2010 at Wofford. ASU has won just three of its past eight SoCon road matches.
• Appalachian features four players from the Kansas City area in Lauren Brown, Jessica Eley and the Sauls sisters (Kasey and Lindsey).
• The team also features another Kansas connection as first-year assistant coach Alex Kelly is also a Kansas City native.
• As seniors, Brown, Eley and Lindsey Sauls all played club volleyball together for Mid-America Volleyball Club, the same club that Coach Kelly played for in high school.
Scouting the Opposition
Elon • 11-6 (0-2)
• Elon enters the weekend on three-match losing streak including SoCon losses to UNCG and College of Charleston last weekend.
• The Phoenix also dropped a non-conference match to Winthrop. The loss on Sept. 17 snapped a five-match winning streak for Elon.
• Elon is led offensively by freshman outside hitter Chanelle Smith (3.00 k/s).
•The Phoenix also feature a threat in junior libero Ali Deatsch who ranks sixth nationally in aces per set (0.56) and 99th in digs per set (4.54)
• The Phoenix rank 61st nationally in aces per set (1.49) and 84th in hitting percentage (.224).
• Appalachian is 12-5 all-time against the Phoenix but dropped the last meeting by a 3-0 final on Nov. 12, 2010.
• The Mountaineers won the first meeting between the schools last season by a 3-1 final on Oct. 2.
• Neither team has defeated the other on the road since Elon picked up a 3-2 win in the High Country on Sept. 27, 2008.
UNCG • 9-8 (2-0)
• UNCG enters this weekend on a five-match winning streak of its own.
• The Spartans picked up wins over Elon (3-2) and The Citadel (3-0) this past weekend.
• Senior outside hitter Ariel Newman leads UNCG's attack with 3.25 k/s and ranks 117th nationally in kills per set.
• As a squad, the Spartans are ranked in the top-100 nationally in aces per set (85th/1.41).
• UNCG has won five of the past six meetings against ASU.
• The Spartans will take on Western Carolina on Saturday.
• The Mountaineers are 25-21 all-time against the Spartans.
• ASU has not won in Greensboro since Oct. 6, 2007.
• Appalachian had won six-straight matches at UNCG before the streak was snapped with a 3-0 loss to the Spartans on Nov. 1, 2008.
Up Next
• Appalachian stays on the road with a match at Georgia Southern on Oct. 8 before returning home for three-straight.
• ASU's plays host to Western Carolina (Oct. 12), Furman (Oct. 15) and Wofford (Oct. 16) before heading back out on the road again.
• The Apps have a total of six home matches remaining in 2011.
