SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The App State volleyball team fell to Eastern Kentucky in three sets in their final match of the Wofford Tournament on Saturday. Following the conclusion of the tournament, freshman
Maya Winterhoff and sophomore
Lauren Pledger landed on the All-Tournament Team for their efforts on the court. Winterhoff had also made the Charleston Southern All-Tournament Team last weekend.
"Today wasn't our day," said head coach
Sarah Rumely Noble. "We executed really well at times, but we couldn't sustain our level of execution throughout the whole match. All in all, we are happy to come home with two wins on the weekend."
Eastern Kentucky 3, App State 0
Senior
McCall Denny notched a double-double, tallying 12 kills and 16 digs, leading the team in both categories. Junior
Sophie Cain earned all three of the Mountaineers' aces and led the team with 21 assists. Cain also made 13 digs to mark her fourth double-double on the young season.
App State tallied more kills (46-41), assists (42-40), and digs (68-64) than the Colonels and broke even in aces with three each.
App State kept pace with EKU in the first set, making a six-point run that included kills from sophomore
Lulu Ambrose and Winterhoff to lead 12-8. The Mountaineers matched the Colonels point-for-point after tying the score at 20 all before the Colonels pushed to win the set 26-24.
The Mountaineers jumped to a 3-0 lead early in the second set with a kill and solo block from Winterhoff as well as a solo block from Denny. The Mountaineers also posted a three-point run to lead 7-2 after kills from junior
Madison Baldridge and Pledger. EKU managed to draw even, tying the score at 11-11 before finding momentum to leap ahead by five, leading 22-17. The Mountaineers chipped away at EKU's late lead, but fell just short 25-22.
In the third set, the Mountaineers once again jumped to a 3-0 lead with back-to-back kills from Winterhoff and a service ace from Cain. EKU caught up to tie the score at 8-8, and found the momentum to push their lead to 24-16. The Black and Gold fought back, scoring five points in a row from two EKU errors, kills from junior
Cierra Huntley and freshman
Kenady Roper, and a service ace from Cain, but it wasn't enough to surpass Eastern Kentucky, who clinched the set 25-21.
Up Next
The Mountaineers return to Boone to host the Mountaineer Classic, Sept. 9-10, in the Holmes Convocation Center. App State will welcome Texas A&M Commerce, Furman, and Presbyterian to the High Country. Season tickets and single-match tickets are now on sale.
