GREENSBORO, N.C.- After the Mountaineers earned a 25-22 first set victory, ASU was unable to hang on and UNCG captured wins in the next three sets to hand Appalachian State University volleyball a 3-1 defeat Saturday evening. The Spartans have now completed the season sweep of the Apps and the loss marks Appalachian's second straight.
First set play was hotly contested as it was tied on six occasions with the final time being at the 19 all mark before ASU was able to take over.
Kills by Lauren Swecker and Anna Wagner and a UNCG attack error allowed the Apps to jump in front 21-19.
Final points by Caroline Sedon and Meghann Forshey pushed Appalachian to the hard-fought three-point first set win.
Forshey posted 12 kills in the contest, hitting .320, while also recording three block assists.
Unfortunately, that was the only set ASU was able to take from it division rival, as the Mountaineers dropped the next three
Back to back Appalachian hitting errors proved to be the difference maker in second set play as that was all UNCG need to grab a two-point lead up 14-12.
Sedon tallied a kill to pull the Apps back within one, but Caley Redden came alive on the offensive front for the Spartans hammering to slams to keep UNCG on top and make the score 21-18 in UNCG's favor.
Forshey tried to keep the Black and Gold in it, tallying two points down the stretch, but a final kill by Ariel Newman knotted the match at one and gave UNCG the 25-23 second set win.
Newman was one of five Spartans to finish the match with double-digit kills, as she totaled a match-best 13, while also recording 16 digs.
It appeared the ASU would all but run away with the third set as Forshey was yet again active on the offensive front and a kill by her and another by Wagner earned Appalachian the early 13-8 lead.
UNCG however continued to rally, and outscored Appalachian 6-1 to tie play at 14 all. ASU errors combined with Newman and Redden points let UNCG make the comeback.
Once ASU found itself behind 18-14, it was the Black and Gold's turn to try and muster a comeback, as the squad clawed its way back to tie play at 21.
Sedon, Swecker and Forshey all paced Applachian during the streak.
The stout effort was not enough, and UNCG edged ASU 25-23 in the third set to take the 2-1 match lead.
Once UNCG notched the 12-10 lead in fourth set play, ASU continued to battle and a Wagner slam helped Appalachian regain the lead, making the score 15-13 in the Mountaineers' favor.
The Spartans posted a set-changing 6-1 run, one that the Apps could not recover from with Newman and Redden yet again leading the way for UNCG.
Although Appalachian was able to tie the set one final time, UNCG snuck past Appalachian and dealt the Apps a 25-22 fourth set and 3-1 match defeat.
With a 9-6 conference mark, ASU has earned the third place seed in the North Division in the upcoming Southern Conference Tournament. The tournament, hosted by Appalachian State is set to begin Friday, November 19, with all matches being played in the Holmes Center. For complete conference tournament coverage including the Mountaineers' opponent and match time, stay logged on to www.GoASU.com.
