TROY, Ala. – App State volleyball middle blocker
Kara Spicer reached 1,000 career kills on Friday as the Mountaineers dropped a pair of contests at Troy.
Spicer's milestone kill came in the opening set of the first match on Friday. She finished the contest with nine kills, while adding eight blocks (two solo, six assists).
Lexi Kohut paced the App State (1-9, 1-9 SBC) with 15 kills in the opening contest. She added eight digs and five blocks.
Grace Morrison also reached double figures in kills with 10, while adding five digs and five blocks.
McCall Denny added eight kills and 12 digs.
Sophie Cain posted a near double-double with 34 assists and nine digs.
Emma Reilly finished with a team-high 17 digs.
Troy (8-4, 8-4 SBC) jumped out to a 10-4 lead in the opening set and never trailed en route to a 25-19 victory.
Set 2 saw the Mountaineers use an early 4-0 run to take a 5-2 lead. App State pushed its lead to 10-5 with three straight points. The Trojans chipped away at the lead and pulled with two at 22-20. Following an App State point, Troy scored two straight points to pull within one at 23-22. Following a Mountaineer timeout, the Black and Gold used kills from Denny and Spicer to win the set 25-22 and even the match at a set apiece.
In Set 3, App State used a 5-1 spurt to jump out to a 9-5 lead. Troy used a 14-2 run later in the set to open a 22-12 lead. The Mountaineers chipped away at the lead and pulled within two points at 24-22, before dropping the set by a 25-22 count.
In the fourth frame, Troy used a 4-0 run to turn a 16-15 lead into a 20-15 edge. The Trojans pushed their lead to 24-19, but App State saved five match points and scored six straight to take a 25-24 lead. The Trojans scored the next two points, only to see App State score the next two to take a 27-26 advantage. The score would end up tied nine more times in the set, before Troy scored two straight points to break a 35-35 deadlock and clinch the set and match by a 37-35 score.
In the nightcap, Kohut led the way with her third double-double of the season, tallying a match-high 19 kills and adding 11 digs. It marks the fourth time this season Kohut has tallied at least 19 kills in a match.
Denny and Spicer each added seven kills.
On defense, Morrison tallied a career-high 13 digs and six block assists, while Reilly also had 13 digs. Cain had a double-double with 34 assists and 12 digs.
Sarah Missroon recorded 10 total blocks for the Mountaineers (two solo, eight assists).
The two teams found themselves tied at 17-17 in the opening set, before Troy scored three straight points to open a 20-17 lead. App State scored the next two points to pull within one, but the Trojans regained control and took the opening set 25-22.
A kill from Kohut early in the second set allowed the Black and Gold to open an 8-4 lead. Troy took the lead at 12-11 later in the set, only to see the Mountaineers respond with three consecutive points to take a 14-12 lead. App State used a 5-0 run later in the set to go up 20-14 and never looked back, winning the set 25-20.
The Mountaineers jumped out to a 10-4 lead in the third set, thanks to an early 5-1 run. The Trojans outscored the Black and Gold 13-6 midway through the set to take a 19-17 lead. App State saved two set points on a pair of Trojan attack errors, before a kill gave Troy the set 25-23 and a 2-1 edge.
In Set 4, App State used a Spicer kill and block solo from Missroon to take an 11-7 advantage. Following a Trojan point, the Mountaineers used a service error and block assists from Missroon and Kohut to open an 13-8 advantage. App State pushed its lead to 19-13, before an 8-0 Trojans run gave them a 21-19 lead. The Mountaineers pulled within three points three times down the stretch, but Troy prevailed 25-22 to record the 3-1 victory.
The two teams will meet again on Saturday to conclude their three-match weekend series. First serve is set for 2 p.m. EST on ESPN+.
