BOONE, N.C. -- Appalachian State volleyball will open Sun Belt play this weekend with a pair of matches in the Holmes Center. The Mountaineers welcome Georgia State to the High Country on Friday at 6:30 p.m., followed by a meeting with Georgia Southern on Sunday at 12:30 p.m. Both contests can be seen on ESPN+.
THE SERIES
- App State leads the all-time series with Georgia State 8-7. The Mountaineers have won three straight in the series, including both meetings with the Panthers last season
- The Black and Gold lead the all-time series with Georgia Southern 36-16. The Mountaineers have captured nine of the last 10 meetings with the Eagles
SCOUTING THE MOUNTAINEERS
- App State posted a 4-9 mark in non-conference play, with two wins coming via 3-0 sweeps
- Kara Spicer is off to a strong start in the season, hitting a team-best .364 on the year, which also ranks third in the conference. She also ranks second on the team in kills (146) and kills per set (3.04)
- Emma Reilly has reached double figures in digs in 12 of 13 contests this season, including 20 or more in seven matches. The junior libero leads the league in both total digs (246) and digs per set (5.12). Reilly has 1,152 digs in her career and is just 10 shy of moving into 10th place all-time for career digs
- Emma Longley leads the Sun Belt in total kills with 192 and sits second in kills per set, averaging 4.00. She has reached double figures in kills nine times this season and owns a team-high five double-doubles
- Sam Bickley is just one of four setters in the conference to have over 400 assists on the season (469). She currently sits third in the league in assists per set, averaging 10.20
SCOUTING THE PANTHERS
- Georgia State concluded non-conference play at 4-7, after falling 3-2 to Brown on Sunday
- Against Brown, Leah Wilson lead the Panthers with 18 kills and a .371 hitting mark. Dzemila Hadzic (14) and Sydney Stroud (10) also reached double figures in kills. On defense, Lauren Bandera (22), Hadzic (14) and Jullian Kilgroe (13) all reached double figures in digs
- Stroud has a team-high 90 kills (2.90 k/s), followed by Morgan Has, who has 56 (2.80 k/s). Bandera leads the team with 206 digs (4.68 d/s), with Kilgroe also posting over 100 total digs this season (102; 2.32 d/s)
- Meishela Griffin is the conference leader in total blocks (40) and blocks per set (1.31)
SCOUTING THE EAGLES
- Georgia Southern enters the weekend with a 5-6 mark after falling to ETSU in the final contest of the Tennessee Classic 3-2 on Saturday
- Carly Turner had 17 kills, Mya Wilson added 12 and Maddie Bryant posted a double-double with 11 kills and 16 digs. Landon Jones recorded 36 digs, which is the most digs in a match this season in the Sun Belt
- Turner has a team-high 113 kills, while Bryant is averaging a team-best 3.18 kills per set. Wilson is hitting a team-best .284 on the season.
- Brown ranks fourth in the league in assists per set, averaging 9.69
UP NEXT
App State will hit the road for five consecutive conference contests, beginning with a trip to Louisiana to face Louisiana on Oct. 4 at 7:30 p.m. EST and ULM on Oct. 6 at 1 p.m. EST.
