Mountaineers to Open Sun Belt Play Against JMU

BOONE, N.C. - The App State volleyball team is set to open Sun Belt Conference action with a pair of battles against James Madison on Sept. 22 and 23.

Friday's match is set for 6 p.m. and will be Youth Team Day. All kids who wear their youth camp shirt or youth team jersey can receive free admission. The bounce house will also return to the fan zone and there will be free ice cream for students.  Saturday's match is scheduled 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.

Both matches will be streamed on ESPN+. 
 
Last Time Out
The Mountaineers closed out non-conference action at the Davidson Tournament on Sept. 14 and 15. App State fell short to Davidson (3-1) on Thursday and Wake Forest (3-2) on Friday. 
 
Fifth-year senior McCall Denny and freshman Delanie Grevengoed posted 12 kills apiece in Thursday's match against Davidson. Denny also posted a team-high 17 digs for a double-double. Redshirt freshman Katie Cruise recorded a team-high 22 assists, while senior Sophie Cain earned a double-double of her own with 19 assists and 10 digs. Sophomore Maya Winterhoff surpassed 150 career blocks after going up for six (two solo, four assists) against the Wildcats. 
 
In Friday's five-set battle with Wake Forest, Winterhoff recorded a career and team-high 19 kills with a hitting percentage of .621. She also posted seven blocks (two solo, five assists). Cruise and Cain each earned double-doubles, hitting double-digits in the assists and digs categories. Cain's double-double marked her fourth this season and 19th in her career. Denny and Roper posted 15 digs apiece. Roper also led the team in aces, serving up three. 
 
Ranked Mountaineers
Winterhoff leads the Sun Belt in blocks per set (1.43), hitting percentage (.426), and ranks second in total blocks (60). In the NCAA, she ranks 14th in blocks per set, 15th in total blocks, and 27th in hitting percentage. Roper ranks fourth in the conference for aces per set (0.50) and fifth for service aces (21). 
 
The Mountaineers rank second in the Sun Belt for team total blocks (113) and blocks per set (2.69), rounding out the top-30 in the NCAA in both categories. App State also ranks third in the conference for aces per set (1.81). 
 
Scouting James Madison
The Mountaineers and Dukes are tied, 4-4, in their series. Last season, App State clashed with JMU on Sept. 23 and 24 in Harrisonburg, Va. James Madison won both matches, 3-0.  Last year's clashes marked the first time the pair would meet as conference foes as well as the first time the duo had met since the 2012 campaign. Currently App State is ranks one above JMU in the East Division SBC weekly standings. 
 
The Dukes' top attacker is senior Miëtte Veldman, who has made 130 kills on the season so far. Following Veldman is fifth-year senior Sophie Davis with 107 kills. Davis is also the Dukes' top blocker, totaling 46 blocks on the season. Senior Rebecca Watkins leads the team in assists (331) and service aces (17). Leading the team in the digs category is junior Jaydyn Clemmer, with 142. 
 
James Madison is 7-4 (0-0 SBC) entering the weekend's contests. The Dukes will be coming to Boone off a pair of losses to No. 7 Oregon (Sept. 15), and No. 8 Pitt (Sept. 16). JMU has faced two other ranked opponents during its non-conference slate, sweeping No. 22 Western Kentucky (Sept. 2) and falling to No. 14 Penn State in four sets (Sept. 3). James Madison also received 19 votes in the AVCA/TARAFLEX Coaches' Poll for the week of Sept. 11 and 17 points in the coaches' poll this week. 
 
ON DECK
App State will head to Conway, S.C. to take on Coastal Carolina on Sept. 29 and 30. Friday's match is slated for 6 p.m. and Saturday's match is slated for 1 p.m.