BOONE, N.C. - Appalachian State University volleyball is set to play its last two regular season matches this week when they meet Texas State at home and Georgia State on the road.
The Mountaineers (19-9, 9-9 Sun Belt) will play Texas State (19-11, 14-4) on Thursday at 7 p.m. in the Holmes Center before hitting the road to play Georgia State (9-18, 7-11) in Atlanta at 6 p.m. on Saturday.
A Look at the Mountaineers
• Appalachian comes off a tough week of play after falling to South Alabama and UL Monroe, each in five sets.
• Jess Keller led the Mountaineers on offense, tallying 19 and 22 kills, respectively in the matches.
• Paige Brown continued to lead the Mountaineers in assists, averaging 10.6 assists per set.
• Despite the two losses, Appalachian has clinched a spot in the Sun Belt Tournament next weekend in San Marcos, Texas.
Leading the Sun Belt
• In the last week of regular season play, Paige Brown still leads the conference in assists per set (11.65), a spot she has not given up the entire season.
• Emily Corrigan is second in the Sun Belt in kills per set, averaging 4.37 per set.
• Lauren Gray ranks fifth in the league in hitting percentage (.320), while Meghan Mahoney is fifth in digs per set (4.20).
• Jess Keller ranks 10th this week in kills per set (3.22), while Olivia Reed has moved to the 10th-place ranking in service aces per set (.26).
• The team continues to rank first in the league in assists (13.08) and second in kills per set (13.60).
• Appalachian is fourth in the Sun Belt in hitting percentage (.220) and digs per set (16.13).
In the National Rankings
• Brown is ranked fourth in the nation in assists per set.
• Corrigan ranks 22nd in the country for kills per set and 28th for attacks per set.
• The Mountaineers rank 25th as a team for assists per set and 68th for digs per set.
Scouting the Bobcats
• Texas State comes off two wins this past week, defeating Georgia State and Troy.
• The Bobcats are currently tied at second-place in the Sun Belt with their 14-4 conference record.
• Texas State has five players averaging two or more assists per set this season with Lauren Kirch leading the way with 2.64 kills per set.
• The Bobcats' setter, Jordan Moore, ranks ninth in the league in assists per set with 7.34 assists per set.
• Sierra Smith is sixth in the conference in digs with 4.15 per set.
• Texas State leads the conference in kills per set (13.69) and is second in assists per set (13.02).
• Appalachian and Texas State last met at the beginning of October, where the Bobcats came away with a 3-0 win.
Scouting the Panthers
• Georgia State lost two matches last weekend against Texas State and UT Arlington.
• The Panthers are currently ranked seventh in the Sun Belt standings with a 7-11 league record.
• Eliza Zachary has proven to be one of the Sun Belt's best hitters as she ranks seventh in the conference with 3.30 kills per set and sixth in the Sun Belt for her .317 hitting percentage.
• Deidra Bohannon is third in the conference with 3.95 kills per set.
• The Panthers' setter, Natalia Nieto, ranks seventh in the conference in assists (9.40), while the libero, Gabby Serafin is 10th in digs per set (3.56).
• Georgia State is a strong serving team as they rank third in the Sun Belt in service aces with an average of 1.41 per set.
• The Mountaineers and Panthers have not met since Sept. 12 at the Black and Gold Challenge when the Apps came away with a 3-0 win.
Up Next
• The Mountaineers will travel to San Marcos, Texas for their first-ever Sun Belt Tournament on Nov. 27-29.
