BOONE, N.C. – Appalachian State University volleyball returns home this weekend as it takes on Southern Conference rival Georgia Southern on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. inside the Holmes Center.
The Mountaineers (5-14, 1-3 SoCon) are coming off a heartbreaking 3-2 loss to Western Carolina while the Eagles (12-6, 3-1) were dealt their first conference loss last week at the hands of College of Charleston.
COUNTRY ROADS, TAKE ME HOME
• Appalachian State returns home for a single match against SoCon foe Georgia Southern this weekend.
• The Mountaineers have played 16 of their first 19 matches of the season away from the friendly confines of the Holmes Center.
• Appalachian State holds a record of 89-45 since it began playing at the HCC in 2001.
• App State is an impressive 65-35 against conference opponents since making the move from Varsity Gym.
A LOOK AT THE MOUNTAINEERS
• Appalachian State dropped a five-set thriller to Western Carolina on Thursday night at the Ramsey Center.
• The Mountaineers rallied from 1-0 and 2-1 deficits to send the match to a decisive fifth set, but were unable to complete the comeback.
• Despite the loss, the Apps did get impressive performances from a trio of underclassmen.
• Sophomores Jacqui Spurgeon (15), Dalton Tolliver (14) and Lindsey Sauls (13) combined for 42 of Appalachian's 52 kills on Thursday night.
• The performance by Sauls marked her third-straight double-digit kill output, all of which have come in league play.
• In addition to the performance of Apps' younger players, two of the Mountaineers' upperclassmen turned in solid outings.
• Senior libero Courtney Rhein netted a career-high 40 digs while junior Lauren Brown tallied a career-best 41 assists.
• Rhein's performance vaulted her into the record books as she posted the seventh-highest single-match dig total in school history.
• Another bright spot for the Mountaineers on Thursday was the team's defense, which combined for 15 blocks, tying the season-high set in a September win over Georgetown.
• Tolliver led the way with nine total blocks, four solo and five assists.
• Jess Keller finished with five block assists while Sauls chipped in with four.
LEADING THE SOCON
• Appalachian State finds itself ranked at the very top of the Southern Conference in blocks per set.
• The Mountaineers are averaging 2.31 blocks per set this season, well ahead of second-place College of Charleston (2.03)
• Jessica Eley and Lauren Gray are two of the top blockers in the SoCon.
• Eley is averaging 0.98 blocks per set, the second-best mark in the SoCon, while Gray is ranked third with 0.94 blocks per set.
• Rhein ranks fourth in the conference in digs with 4.98 per set.
IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
• The Mountaineers rank in the top-100 nationally in two categories.
• App State is 84th in digs per set (15.9) and 92nd in blocks per set (2.25)
• Additionally, senior libero Rhein ranks 51st in the nation in digs per set (4.98).
RECORD WATCH
• Appalachian State is poised to have a new career leader in digs by seasons' end. Senior libero Rhein needs just 165 digs to become Appalachian's all-time leader.
• Rhein has posted at least 530 digs in each of the past two seasons and should easily surpass the record of 1,828 digs.
• She would become App State's all-time digs leader despite playing just three full seasons as the team's primary libero.
• Rhein, who currently ranks third in school history with 1,664 digs, needs 16 more to move into second place.
SCOUTING THE EAGLES
• Georgia Southern enters the weekend in second place in the SoCon South Division after falling, 3-0, to first-place College of Charleston last Saturday.
• The Eagles had won five-straight matches before last week's loss to the Cougars.
• Georgia Southern's other five losses this year have come against Auburn, Georgia Wisconsin, UC-Santa Barbara and New Mexico.
• The Eagles are led offensively by Meredith Paskert, who averages 3.12 kills per set, tied for eighth-best in the SoCon.
• Georgia Southern ranks in the top-four in the conference in every major statistical category, including first in digs per set (17.6).
• The Eagles are led on defense by Kate Van Dyke and Moriah Bellismo, who each average 3.09 digs per set.
• Georgia Southern has also been impressive when it comes to stopping the other team's attack as it averages 1.9 blocks per set.
• The Eagles are led by former Mountaineer head coach Chad Callihan, who led App State from 2003-06.
• During his time in the High Country, Callihan compiled a record of 88-44 while capturing two SoCon North Division titles and making two trips to the conference title match.
• Appalachian State is 27-11 all-time against Georgia Southern and has won two-straight in the series, including a 3-2 win in last year's SoCon Tournament.
INJURY BUG BITES
• In addition to fielding one of the youngest teams in the SoCon, Appalachian State has also been hurt by injury this season.
• Middle blocker Hailey Kerr has not played since Sept. 14 due to a hand injury.
• Emily Corrigan will not play in either match this weekend due to an injured wrist.
• The status of both players past this weekend has yet to be determined.
• Lauren Gray has also been a victim of the injury bug as she is day-to-day with an ankle injury.
UP NEXT
• App State travels to Wofford (Oct. 12) and Furman (Oct. 13) before returning home for matches against College of Charleston (Oct. 19) and The Citadel (Oct. 20).
