AKRON, OHIO- Fresh off its 3-0 win against Akron, Appalachian State University volleyball picked up where it left off, as the Apps reeled off wins in three straight sets, after dropping the first, to down Saint Francis 3-1 Friday evening at the Akron Invitational. After suffering a close 26-24 first set defeat, the Apps picked up 25-21, 25-11 and 25-11 second, third and fourth set victories. With the decisive win, ASU is now 8-1 on the 2010 campaign, while Saint Francis falls to 2-7 overall.
Early offensive production by Appalachian enabled the Mountaineers to go on an 8-0 streak taking a controlling 10-2 lead. Offense came from all over
as Kelly Rhein, Meghann Forshey and Caroline Sedon all contributed on the offensive front.
Saint Francis however capitalized on several Appalachian miscues and the Red Flash came back from their early deficit to tie action at 12 all.
With the set knotted at 14 apiece the Black and Gold pushed ahead to make the score 19-16 in their favor.
However, the Red Flash continued to chip away, and an Appalachian attack error proved costly tying action once more at 23 all.
Anna Wagner denied Saint Francis its first chance at putting the first set away, as she provided a much-need spark tallying a kill to knot play at 24 all.
Despite Wagner's solid effort, two final Saint Francis kills by Lindsay Malloy and Leanne Haus gave SFU the two-point first set win.
Appalachian rebounded in second set action, and mounted a 6-2 advantage, with four Red Flash attack errors helping ASU earn the lead.
Eerily similar to the first set, the Apps let Saint Francis back into it, as block assists by Haus and Elizabeth Williams gave SFU the edge, up 19-18.
Continuing to battle, the Mountaineers went on a 3-0 run after play was tied at 19 all and hung on to tie the match at 1-1.
Mustering up some energy, the Black and Gold hammered the Red Flash in the third set.
Once Appalachian grabbed a convincing 10-3 advantage the squad never looked back, as it was early SFU attack errors and continued offensive prowess by Alison Blasingame and Wagner that paced ASU.
ASU's offense was relentless and completely dominating, with back-to-back kills by Maggie Seeds and an ace by Rhein putting the Black and Gold on top 18-7.
Two Red Flash attack errors and a bad set in addition to a Forshey kill earned Appalachian the 14-point third set win.
Almost a mirror image to the third set, four set play saw the same favorable results for the Mountaineers.
Action was close in the early goings of the set, but kills by Wagner and Seeds propelled Appalachian, which continued to click on all cylinders.
Once Malloy tallied a kill to cut into ASU's lead, putting the Apps up just 13-11, the Black and Gold went on a deadly 12-0 run to close out the set.
Forshey and Blasingame continued to dominate, while the Red Flash were self-detrimental totaling five attack errors to help Appalachian notch its advantage.
Seeing her first action of the 2010 campaign, Prescott Lederer recorded two late kills in waning plays of the fourth and final set and the Mountaineers picked up the 3-1 match win.
Appalachian will play its final contest of the Akron Invitational tomorrow, Saturday September 12 at 2 p.m. against Indiana State.
