BOONE, N.C. -- Appalachian State volleyball overcame a two sets to none deficit, rallying for a 3-2 (22-25, 24-26, 25-19, 25-20, 15-9) victory over Louisiana in Sun Belt play on Sunday afternoon inside the Holmes Center.
The Mountaineers (12-4, 4-0 SBC) snapped a three-match losing skid to the Ragin' Cajuns (9-9, 1-3 SBC). App State is now 4-0 to begin conference play for the first time since 2015 and is just one three teams in the league that to be undefeated in conference play.
The comeback is also the first time Appalachian has erased a 2-0 deficit since Sept. 18, 2015, when the Mountaineers rallied from two sets down at Troy.
The Black and Gold found themselves down two sets to zero after Louisiana rallied late to win the first set 25-22, before grabbing the second set 26-24.
In Set 3, App State used a 4-1 spurt midway through the set, with kills coming from
Melissa McMath and
Victoria Wilform, to build a 15-8 lead. The Ragin' Cajuns pulled to within four at 23-19, but kills from
Becky Porter and McMath closed out the set for the Mountaineers by a 25-19 count.
The fourth set saw Louisiana jump out to a 5-3 lead, only to see the Black and Gold respond with an 8-1 run to take a 11-6 advantage. The Ragin Cajuns would trim to the App State lead to one-point at 12-11, but the Mountaineers came right back with three consecutive points to open a 15-11 edge. Appalachian State would hold the lead for the remainder of the set and a kill from McMath clinched the fourth set 25-20.
Louisiana jumped out to a 6-2 lead in the deciding fifth set. From there, the Mountaineers reeled off 11 of the next 12 points, getting two service aces from
Kara Spicer along the way to open a 13-7 lead. Leading 14-9,
Emma Reilly would cap off the comeback with her lone kill of the match.
Offensively,
Emma Longley tallied a team-high 16 kills, while McMath had 14. WIlform registered 13 kills on a .323 hitting percentage.
Kara Spicer added eight kills and
Anna Kincaid chipped in with six kills on a .417 hitting mark.
Porter posted a near triple-double with 51 assists, 13 digs and seven kills. The double-double marks her fifth in the last six contests.
Reilly recorded 21 digs to pace App State, with
Sydney Hinds adding a season-high tying 13 and
Jana Owens tallying a career-high 10.
App State finished the contest with 70 kills, marking the third time this season they have notched at least 70 kills in a match.
Appalachian State will put its perfect Sun Belt record on the line on Friday at 6:30 p.m. against Little Rock. The contest will be played in Varsity Gym on campus. The Mountaineers will also welcome Arkansas State to the High Country at 12:30 p.m. on Oct. 7.
