BOONE, N.C. - The App State volleyball team is set to travel to Davidson, N.C. for the Davidson Tournament this week. The Mountaineers will take on Davidson at 7 p.m. on Sept. 14 and Wake Forest at 6 p.m. on Sept. 15. Both matches will be free to attend and live stats will be available.
Last Time Out
App State posted a trio of victories at the Black & Gold Invitational, defeating North Carolina A&T, USC-Upstate, and UNC Greensboro in Boone, N.C. on Sept. 7-9. The Mountaineers are now 9-0 (0-0 SBC) on the season.
Junior
Lauren Pledger, and sophomores
Kenady Roper and
Maya Winterhoff earned spots on the Black & Gold Invitational All-Tournament team. Pledger, who was also named Tournament MVP, posted 19 kills on the weekend and recorded a hitting percentage of .567 through three matches. She also posed 14 blocks and three digs. Roper totaled 50 digs, averaging 4.55 per set, as well as five aces and four assists. Winterhoff, who had also earned spots on the Mountaineer Classic and ECU Tournament All-Tournament Teams this season, tallied 22 kills and a hitting percentage of .396 through the weekend. She also totaled 10 blocks (two solo, eight assists), five aces, and three assists during the tournament.
App State edged out North Carolina A&T, 3-2, on Thursday. The Mountaineers outpaced the Aggies in kills (63-59), aces (9-5), and assists (57-56). Junior
Lulu Ambrose, fifth-year senior
McCall Denny, and freshman
Delanie Grevengoed each posted double-digit kills, with Ambrose posting a team-high 15, while Denny and Grevengoed each notched 13. Redshirt freshman
Katie Cruise led the team in assists with 30, while Roper led the team in digs with 24. Pledger recorded eight blocks and a hitting percentage of .571.
On Friday morning in front of an Education Day crowd of 1,076, the Mountaineers swept USC-Upstate, 3-0. Ambrose led the team with seven kills. Pledger posted a hitting percentage of .714, in addition to four blocks. Cruise recorded a team-high 15 assists while senior
Sophie Cain notched a double-double with 10 assists and 11 digs. Roper recorded a team-high 14 digs. The Mountaineers posted nine aces compared to the Spartans' two as well as 12 blocks to USC-Upstate's five.
The Black and Gold notched its sixth sweep of the season on Saturday, closing out the tournament with a 3-0 victory over UNC Greensboro. App State led UNCG in kills (43-28), aces (6-1), blocks (11-1), and assists (35-24). Ambrose led the team in kills for a third time with 10 and five Mountaineers recorded hitting percentages of .417 or better. Cruise posted 16 assists, while Cain recorded 12. Roper tallied a team-high 12 digs. Freshman
Ava Leahy tallied a team-high seven blocks (two solo, five assists).
Ranked Mountaineers
Wintethoff remains second in the Sun Belt and ranks 13th in the NCAA for total blocks (47) and rounds out the top-25 in the NCAA and ranks second in the Sun Belt for blocks per set, averaging 1.42. She continues to lead the conference and ranks 53rd in the NCAA in hitting percentage (.406).
With a 9-0 (0-0 SBC) record, App State is one of 14 undefeated teams in NCAA Division I volleyball. The Mountaineers lead the SBC and rank eighth nationally in team total blocks (94) as well as rank second in the SBC and 17th in the NCAA for blocks per set (2.85). App State stands fourth in the league and rounds out the top-50 in the NCAA for total team aces (63).
Scouting the Tournament Field
App State vs. Davidson | Thursday | 7 p.m.
App State leads the series against Davidson, 30-18. The Mountaineers last met the Wildcats on Aug. 31, 2018, sweeping Davidson in three sets at Holmes Convocation Center.
Jackie Bardin leads Davidson in the kills category with 78, while Kayla Davis leads in the blocks category with 23. Bella Brady holds a team-high 147 digs on the season. Xuan Nguyen leads the Wildcats in assists (159) and aces (12).
Davidson is 7-1 (0-0 A10) on the season and is coming off a 3-1 loss to High Point (Sept. 10). The Wildcats have tallied three sweeps this year, defeating Le Moyne (Aug. 25), West Virginia (Aug. 26), Queens (Sept. 1).
App State vs. Wake Forest | Friday | 6 p.m.
App State is 4-8 in the series against Wake Forest, having last met the Demon Deacons on Sept. 11, 2021 in Boone. The Mountaineers fell 1-3 against Wake Forest. App State last defeated Wake Forest, 3-0, on Sept. 20, 2011.
Leading the Demon Deacons in the kills category is Paige Crawford, who has 109 so far this season. Following close behind is Ava Carney, who has 106 kills. Rian Baker is Wake Forest's leader in the assists category (342) and aces category (9). Emma Farrell has a team-high 132 digs on the season, while Emmy Ogogor has a team-high 27 blocks.
Wake Forest enters the tournament 7-2 (0-0 ACC) on the season and will be coming to Davidson off a sweep of Mississippi State (Sept. 10). Wake Forest won six consecutive matches from Aug. 25 to Sept. 3, which included sweeps of Toledo, Northeastern, and FIU, as well as a five-set victory over UCF. The Demon Deacons dropped contests to Kennesaw State and Western Michigan at the KSU Invitational on Sept. 8 and 9.
ON DECK
App State will open Sun Belt action on Sept. 22 and 23 as it hosts James Madison. Friday's match is scheduled for 6 p.m. and will be Youth Team Day. There will also be free ice cream for students and the return of the bounce house. Saturday's match is slated for 1 p.m. and will be Bingo Day. Volleyball bingo cards will be available for fans. There will also be a food drive for the Hunger and Health Coalition. Fans are encouraged to bring canned goods and non-perishable items.
