CLEMSON, S.C. – Appalachian State volleyball dropped a tight three-set decision to Clemson by a 25-22, 25-21, 25-23 score on Tuesday evening.
Emma Longley paced the Mountaineers (2-5) offense with a match-high 18 kills.
Kara Spicer added seven kills and
Victoria Wilform chipped in with six, while hitting .333.
Sam Bickley dished out 30 assists and added seven digs.
Grace Kinsch and
Emma Reilly both reached double figures in digs with 10 apiece.
In the opening set, Clemson (5-3) broke an early 3-3 tie with four straight points and slowly pushed their lead to eight points at 21-13 late in the frame. App State countered with the next three points, but Clemson pushed its lead back to 24-17. The Black and Gold did not go away without a fight, winning the next five points before ultimately dropping the opening set 25-22.
In Set 2, App State got a kill from
Grace Morrison and Longley and a service error to tie the score 10-10 midway through the frame. Later in the set, the Black and Gold scored three consecutive points to break a 15-15 tie and jump in front 18-15. With the Mountaineers leading 20-17, Clemson reeled off eight of nine points to storm back and win the set 25-21.
In the third set, Clemson jumped out to an 11-8 lead before four consecutive Mountaineer points put them in front 12-11. The Tigers countered with three straight points, but App State came right back with the next two points to knot the score at 14-14. Trailing 23-19, the Black and Gold scored four consecutive points, getting a pair of kills from Spicer, to tie the score at 23-23. Clemson responded with the final two points of the set to clinch the three-set victory.
The Black and Gold tallied 37 kills and hit .165, while the Tigers recorded 43 kills and finished with a .236 hitting percentage.
App State will return to Boone for the Appalachian Invitational, which runs Thursday through Saturday in the Holmes Center. The Mountaineers will host Western Carolina on Thursday at 6:30 p.m., Iowa State on Friday at 6:30 p.m. on ESPN+ and N.C. State on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. on ESPN+.
