BOONE, N.C. - The App State volleyball team will host ULM in the Holmes Convocation Center on Friday and Saturday. Both matches will be available to stream on ESPN+. Friday's 6 p.m. match will be Halloween themed for Friday the 13th Night. Fans are encouraged to wear Halloween costumes and there will be trick-or-treating following the conclusion of the match. The Mountaineers will honor seniors
Meghan Dombrowski,
McCall Denny,
Alec Quinn,
Sophie Cain, and
Madison Baldridge for Senior Day at Saturday's 1 p.m. match. There will also be free ice cream for fans while supplies last to celebrate National Ice Cream Day.
Last Time Out
The Mountaineers split a pair of matches with Georgia State in Boone, falling to the Panthers, 3-2, on Oct. 6 before bouncing back for a 3-0 sweep of the Panthers on Oct. 7.
In Friday's five-set battle, fifth year senior
McCall Denny posted a double-double with 14 kills and 14 digs. Junior
Lulu Ambrose recorded 12 kills while freshman
Delanie Grevengoed tallied 11. Redshirt freshman
Katie Cruise posted a double-double with 21 assists and 12 digs, while sophomore
Kenady Roper led the team in the digs category with 17. Junior
Lauren Pledger totaled a team-high five blocks on the night.
In Saturday's sweep, Denny once again led the team in kills, tallying 11. Denny, senior
Sophie Cain, Roper, and sophomores
Alyssa McBean and
Maya Winterhoff each recorded an ace apiece on the afternoon. Cruise posted the team high in the assists category with 18, while Roper recorded a team-high 13 digs. Pledger led the team in the blocks category, tallying another five.
Ranked Mountaineers
In this week's rankings, Winterhoff leads the conference in hitting percentage (.362) and total blocks (81) for the season. She also rounds out the top-30 in the NCAA for total blocks and top-75 in hitting percentage. Winterhoff also stands second in the league for blocks per set for the season, averaging 1.25.
App State checks in at second in the SBC and rounds out the top-30 in the NCAA for blocks per set on the season, averaging 2.55. The Mountaineers also rank second the the SBC and round out the top-35 in the NCAA for team total blocks on the season with 166. App State also ranks fourth in the league for aces per set (1.66) for the season so far.
Scouting ULM
App State met ULM in Monroe, La. on Oct. 14 and 15, 2022. The Mountaineers won both matches, defeating the Warhawks, 3-2, on Friday and 3-1 on Saturday. The match on Oct. 14 had marked the third consecutive 3-2 victory for the Mountaineers and both matches were part of the Black and Gold's 11-1 streak that spanned from Oct. 6 to Nov. 12, 2022.
A trio of Warhawks have surpassed 160 kills this season, led by Logan Jeffus, who has 168. Jeffus is followed by Ariana Brown (165) and Brynn Botkin (162). Botkin leads the team in service aces with 30, while Jeffus leads the team in blocks, totaling 39. Cameron Rogers holds a team-high 312 digs. Bailey Roberson and Morgan Howard lead the team in assists with 389 and 314, respectively.
ULM is 4-16 (0-6 SBC) this season and will be coming to Boone off a pair of losses in Hattiesburg, Miss. against Southern Miss. The Warhawks are looking to break an eight match losing streak that has spanned from Sept. 16. In non-conference play, ULM won a five-set thriller over Akron (Aug. 25), swept Southern twice (Sept. 8 and Sept. 15) and defeated New Orleans in four sets (Sept. 9).
ON DECK
The Mountaineers will travel to Huntington, WV for a pair of battles against Marshall on Oct. 20 and 21. Friday's match is set for 6 p.m. and Saturday's match is set for 1 p.m. Both will be available to stream on ESPN+.
