BOONE, N.C. -- Silting atop the Sun Belt East division, Appalachian State volleyball will play its final two contests of the 2018 season on Friday and Sunday. On Friday, the Mountaineers will welcome Georgia State to the Holmes Center at 6:30 p.m., followed by a 12:30 p.m. matchup against Georgia Southern on Sunday. Both matches will be broadcast on ESPN+.
SENIOR DAY
Sunday's contest against Georgia Southern will also be Senior Day for the Mountaineers. App State will honor its four seniors (
Sydney Hinds,
Melissa McMath,
Becky Porter and
Jenna Talbert) prior to the beginning of the match.
SCOUTING THE MOUNTAINEERS
Appalachian State improved to 17-7 overall and 9-3 in the Sun Belt with a 20-25, 25-20, 25-20, 25-20 victory over Troy on Sunday. The Black and Gold's 9-3 mark is first in the Sun Belt East division. In the win over Troy,
Emma Longley recorded her third straight double-double with 18 kills and 10 digs, while adding three blocks.
Kara Spicer tallied nine kills, while
Becky Porter finished with seven. Porter also dished out 40 assists in the win. On defense,
Sydney Farthing and
Emma Reilly each posted 17 digs. As a team, App State is averaging 13.66 kills per set, which sits second in the Sun Belt. The Mountaineers sit atop the conference in service aces per set, averaging 1.55 as a team. In addition, the Black and Gold are limiting their opponents to a league low 0.77 service aces per set.
SCOUTING THE PANTHERS
Georgia State recorded its third conference victory of the season by a 3-2 count (22-25, 25-22, 26-24, 19-25, 15-13) over Little Rock on Saturday. Four Panthers reached double figure kills in the win in Madelyn Ott (16), Crystal Lee (13), Meisheia Griffin (12) and Morgan Hash (10). Sarah Renner tallied a double-double with 18 assists and 16 digs. Lauren Bandera (27) and Lee (18) both reached double figures in digs in the win. Griffin sits at third in the conference in total blocks (99) and blocks per set (1.27). The Panthers are one of the best blocking teams in the Sun Belt, averaging 2.38 blocks per set, which ranks second.
SCOUTING THE EAGLES
Georgia Southern stands at 8-19 on the season and 2-10 in Sun Belt play. The Eagles were swept at home by Arkansas State on Saturday by a 25-23, 25-19, 25-23 score. Carly Turner led Georgia Southern with nine kills and a .320 hitting mark, while Skylar Ball tallied eight kills. Madison Brown recorded a team-high 30 assists and Joscelin Morrow added a team-high 13 digs. Four Eagles have posted over 200 kills on the season in Lauren Reichard (264), Turner (221), Maddie Bryant (220) and Ball (216). As a team, the Eagle sit third in the Sun belt, averaging 1.35 service aces per set.
THE SERIES
This will be the 15th all-time meeting between Georgia State and Appalachian, with the series knotted at 7-7. App State has won the last two contests against the Panthers, including a 3-2 triumph in Atlanta earlier this season on Sept. 22. The Mountaineers own a 34-16 advantage in the all-time series against Georgia Southern. The Black and Gold have won three straight versus the Eagles, including a 3-0 sweep in Statesboro on Sept. 21 this season.
UP NEXT
The Mountaineers will close out the regular season next weekend with a pair of contests in Alabama. App State will take on Troy at 7:30 p.m. EST on Nov. 9 and South Alabama on Nov. 11 at 1:30 p.m.
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