BOONE, N.C. -- App State volleyball dropped a 25-16, 25-15, 25-23 contest to Charlotte in its first match of the Mountaineer Classic on Friday evening.
McCall Denny paced the Mountaineers (3-4) with a team-high eight kills. She also finished with nine digs.
Lily Harvey added six kills.
Anna Kincaid had three kills and five total blocks (two solo, three assists).
Emma Reilly led the App State defense with 11 digs.
Sam Bickley finished with 21 assists and six digs.
In the opening frame, Charlotte (6-2) took control early, winning seven of the first eight points to take a 7-1 lead. App State chipped away at the lead and pulled within two points at 8-6. The 49ers came right back with six consecutive points to open a 14-6 edge. Charlotte never looked back, taking the opening set 25-16.
In Set 2, the 49ers broke a 4-4 tie with a 5-0 spurt to take a 9-4 edge. The Mountaineers pushed within four points at 17-13, but could get no closer dropping the set 25-15.
The third set saw Charlotte jump out to a 11-5 lead. App State battled back with a 7-1 spurt, capped off by a 49er attack error, to tie the score 12-12. Charlotte won five of the next six points to build a 17-13 advantage. The Mountaineers again battled back and pulled within a point at 20-19 on a kill from Denny. Following a 49er point, Kincaid brought App State within a point at 21-20. From there, the Black and Gold trimmed the 49er lead to a point two more times, but could not get closer, dropping the final set 25-23.
Emani Foster paced Charlotte with 12 kills and Sydney Rowan added 10 kills.
App State will have a quick turnaround and play a pair of matches on Saturday at the Mountaineer Classic. The Mountaineers will battle Bellarmine at 12:30 p.m. and Wake Forest at 7 p.m. Both matches will be streamed on ESPN+.
