BOONE, N.C. -- Appalachian State volleyball will play in its third straight tournament to open the 2018 season, taking part in the N.C. State/Campbell Invitational. The Mountaineers will take on Utah Valley on Friday at 11 a.m. at N.C. State. On Saturday at Campbell, the Black and Gold will battle Wright State at 2 p.m. and the host Camels at 6 p.m.
SCOUTING THE MOUNTAINEERS
Last weekend at the Appalachian Invitational, the Mountaineers posted a 1-2 mark, defeating Davidson on Friday and falling to Clemson and Mississippi State. For her efforts on the weekend,
Emma Longley was named to the All-Tournament Team. It marked the second straight All-Tournament Team honor for Longley, who was named MVP of the season opening UNC Asheville Invitational.
Becky Porter was honored by the Sun Belt as Co-Setter of the Week. In three matches last weekend, Porter dished out 124 total assists (11.27 a/s), while adding 13 kills and 21 digs. She posted the first Mountaineer double-double of the season with 54 assists and 10 digs against Clemson. On the season, Porter ranks second in the Sun Belt in totals assists (195) and assist average (9.95 a/s). Longley leads the Black and Gold with 73 total kills (3.65 k/s), with
Kara Spicer second with 51. Spicer also is tops on the team with a .308 hitting mark. Defensively,
Emma Reilly is averaging a team-high 3.90 d/s, which leads the team and is fifth in the league. Reilly has also tallied a team-high 11 service aces, which sits in a tie for third in the conference.
SCOUTING THE WOLVERINES
Utah valley enters play with a 5-3 mark on the season. The Wolverines swept past Utah State on Tuesday 25-21, 25-20, 25-9. Kaza Tarawhiti led the wah with 15 kills, while Kristen Allred also reached double figures in kills with 10. Seren Merrill had a match-high 17 digs, with Abbie Vincent posting 10. Tarawhiti is averaging a team-best 4.19 k/s, with Allred right behind at 3.56 k/s. Allred also has a team-high 11 service aces.
SCOUTING THE RAIDERS
Wright State enters the weekend with a 5-1 mark on the season. After falling to UCONN in their season opener, the Raiders have reeled off five consecutive wins, capped off by a 3-0 sweep of Moreheat State on Saturday. The Raiders hit .314 in the win and committed just eight errors. Celia Powers had 11 kills, Abyy Barcus added eight and Reddie Sauer had seven. Barcus also had 10 digs in the win. Powers and Sauer are tied for the team lead wth 65 kills each, with Barcus right behind at 64. Lainey Stephenson has 181 assists on the season, averaging 7.54 a/s.Â
SCOUTING THE CAMELS
Campbell owns a 2-5 mark on the season, after dropping a 25-21, 25-19, 25-15 contest at UNC Wilmington on Tuesday. Jessica Stocking had nine kills, with Sarah Colla posting seven. Grace Kane had a team-high 14 kills, with Madee Miner adding 12. Miner also finished with a team-high 20 assists. Colla leads the Camels with 83 kills (3.32 k/s). Kane is averaging a team-high 3.84 d/s, while Miner has tallied 133 total assists (5.32 a/s).
ALL-TIME SERIES
App State and Utah Valley will meet for the first time in program history. The Mountaineers are 0-2 against Wright State, with the last meeting coming in 2001, where the Raiders came away with a 3-0 win. The Black and Gold are a perfect 5-0 against Campbell, with all five victories coming by a sweep.
NEXT UP
The Mountaineers will have a quick turnaround and will travel to East Tennessee State on Tuesday for a 6 p.m. non-conference match.
