BOONE, N.C.- Appalachian State University volleyball was able to escape a tough Samford squad Sunday afternoon, as the Mountaineers handed their Southern Conference North Division foe a 3-1 loss in the Holmes Center. The victory completes the season sweep of Samford, and keeps Appalachian in the hunt for the North division crown.
After picking up wins in the first two sets, Samford battled back and was able to edge the Black and Gold 29-27 in third set action to force a fourth set.
Once Appalachian (18-9, 9-5 SoCon) jumped out to an early 4-1 fourth set advantage, thanks in part to strong offensive play by Maggie Seeds, the Bulldogs rallied back and grabbed a 9-6 lead.
Samford was paced by Lyndsey Holt and Katie Murphy on the offensive front.
However, keeping with her impressive play, Alison Blasingame registered a kill and tied the set at 10 apiece.
Play was knotted once more at 11 all, before Samford went on a 4-0 run to make the score 15-11 in their favor. It was sloppy Appalachian play that enabled the Bulldogs to grab the lead.
Down but not out, the Apps tried to respond, and a Lauren Swecker kill pulled the Black and Gold back within in one, down just 17-16.
Sophomore Meghann Forshey stepped up at the right time for the Apps, as she tallied back-to-back kills and fourth set action was tied for the final time at 20 all.
Blasingame and Anna Wagner led ASU down the stretch, and the Mountaineers were able to hang on for the 25-21, and 3-1 match win.
Blasingame was just one of five Mountaineers to end the match with double-digit kills, as she totaled 12, while also pouring in six block assists and two solo blocks.
Strong blocking by ASU propelled the Apps to a commanding 7-2 lead to open up first set play.
Kills by Lauren Hutchinson and Allie Bettinger and a Samford block assist saw the Black and Gold's lead diminish to just one point.
Hutchinson recorded 15 kills for Samford, while Bettinger tallied a match-high 16, in addition to recording seven digs.
Despite just the one point lead, ASU picked up its pace and out-scored the Bulldogs 8-2, with Seeds and Swecker tallying kills to put ASU up 22-15.
Although Samford tried to make it interesting down the stretch, the Mountaineers hung on for the 25-20 first set win.
Second set action was knotted four times early on, before four straight Samford errors put Appalachian in front 13-9.
Never quite able to recover from its four-point deficit, ASU continued with its offensive assault as Blasingame slammed home another kill and final kills by Seeds and Caroline Sedon enabled the Apps to win the second set by a 25-20 margin.
Not willing to go home quite yet, a Bettinger kill made the score 8-4 in Samford's favor at the beginning of third set play.
Trying to rally, ASU posted five straight points, thanks in part to kills by Seeds and Samford errors to cut their deficit to just two, down 17-15.
Eventually able to muster the comeback, a kill by Swecker tied play at 19, and in the waning plays, action was knotted eight more times, with the last time being at the 27 all mark.
Samford was able to stave off Appalachian's comeback bid however, as a final Bulldog block assist and Hutchinson kill pushed the match into a fourth set.
Although fourth set action was hotly contested, Appalachian was able to keep with its strong play and earn a four-point fourth set victory.
In their final home regular season match, seniors Lauren Swecker and Caroline Sedon posted stellar outings. Sedon finished with 12 kills and Swecker posted 10, while Sedon also had six digs and five block assists, and Swecker had 18 digs and combined for two block assists.
The Black and Gold continue their quest for a North division title, as they head to Elon, N.C. to battle the Phoenix, Friday, November 12. Action between the two teams is set to begin at 8 p.m. in Elon's Alumni Gym.
