BOONE, N.C. - Appalachian State University volleyball was unable to keep pace with a strong UNCG team Sunday afternoon, as the Mountaineers dropped a 3-0 decision to their Southern Conference North division foe. The defeat is the Black and Gold's first conference loss of the season and movesASU to 12-5 overall and 3-1 in league play, while the Spartans improve to 15-4 on the season and 3-1 in the SoCon.
First set play was tied at four all, before UNCG scored four straight points to take the early 7-4 advantage.
A Maggie Seeds kill snapped the Spartans run, and that coupled with points by Kelly Rhein and Anna Wagner cut ASU's deficit to just one.
Another kill by Seeds tied the set at 13 apiece and it was knotted once more at 15, before the Spartans grabbed the lead for good off an Ariel Newman slam.
Seeds ended the match with a team-high 12 kills on 22 total attacks, good enough for a .500 hitting percentage.
Newman was also the leader for the Spartans on the offensive front, registering 10 kills, in addition to nine digs and four service aces.
Despite the Apps pulling within two at the 20-18 mark off an Alison Blasingame point, it wasn't enough, as Billi Baker had three kills down the stretch to hand the Mountaineers the first set loss.
Thanks in part to solid play by Caroline Sedon and Wagner, ASU jumped out to an early 8-5 lead in the second set.
The Spartans however took advantage of three Appalachian errors and re-took the lead up 9-8.
Appalachian would continue to battle, and two Meghan Forshey kills gave ASU the lead once more, putting the Black and Gold on top 13-11.
Two more Seeds points extended the Apps advantage to 18-15, but UNCG was relentless and a 4-0 Spartan run tied action once more.
Unable to hang on down the stretch, the set was tied for the final time at 23, before Olivia Humphries notched the final two kills to give ASU a hard-fought 25-23 second set loss.
Appalachian struggled to get anything going in the third set, as the Spartans were clicking on all cylinders.
UNCG capitalized on ASU errors and its lack of offensive productivity, as the Apps found itself behind 16-8.
A Forshey kill and UNCG error did put the set back within reach, as the Apps trailed just 17-14.
The Spartans' lead dwindled to just one point, with Seeds and Wagner both tallying kills to make the score 21-20.
The valiant effort wasn't enough for the Mountaineers however and UNCG was able to stave off the chippy ASU squad, as the Apps suffered just its second 3-0 loss of the season.
Conference play carries on, as the Apps hit the road for two more important SoCon matches. Appalachian first battles defending SoCon North Division Champion Samford, Saturday, October 9 at 7 p.m. in Birmingham, Ala.
