ASHEVILLE, N.C. – In the first match of the 2018 season, Appalachian State volleyball posted a 3-0 sweep of The Citadel on the opening day of the UNC Asheville Tournament.
Emma Longley paced the Mountaineers (1-0) with a match-high 13 kills and four digs.
Kara Spicer added seven kills on a .600 hitting mark, while also posting five total blocks (three solo, two assists).
Victoria Wilform chipped in with five kills and
Grace Morrison tallied four.
Becky Porter dished out a game-high 27 assists, while also posting four digs. On defense,
Emma Reilly and
Sydney Hinds each recorded double digit digs with 15 and 11, respectively.
The Appalachian State defense was tough all evening, limiting The Citadel (0-1) to a -.065 hitting mark and recording five block solos and six block assists. App State hit .191 in the match and posted 34 total kills.
After the Bulldogs opened an early four-point edge, App State roared back and jump in front 10-9 in the opening set on back-to-back kills by Spicer. With the set tied at 17-17, the Black and Gold won eight of the final 10 points to win the opening frame 25-19.
App State captured the first four points of Set 2, only to see The Citadel pull within one at 8-7. From there, the Black and Gold reeled off 10 straight points to take control of the set en route to a 25-14 victory.
In Set 3, the Mountaineers jumped out to an early 10-6 advantage. The Citadel would trim the App State lead to 14-12, before four consecutive points by the Black and Gold gave them a 18-12 edge. Appalachian State would not look back, taking the set 25-17 to complete the sweep.
The Mountaineers will be right back at it on Saturday, facing Coppin State at 12:30 p.m. and host UNC Asheville at 6:30 p.m. to close out play at the season opening UNC Asheville Invitational.
