BOONE, N.C. - The App State volleyball team is slated to host Georgia Southern at the Holmes Center on Friday and Saturday. Friday's match is set for 6 p.m. and Saturday's is slated for 1 p.m.
Friday's match will feature a cold weather gear and food drive for the Hunger & Health Coalition. Fans who bring five items or more will receive $5 off their ticket price. Donated cold weather gear must be new.
Saturday's match is the Mountaineers' Pink Day match. "I stand for" signs will be available for fans to fill out and there will be a pink wagon race between the second and third sets. Sophomore
Caroline Farthing's mother, Angie Farthing, will make the honorary first serve of the match.
Last Time Out
App State clashed with Old Dominion in Norfolk, Va. on Oct. 11, defeating the Monarchs, 3-1. Senior
Lulu Ambrose led the team with 12 kills on the night. Junior
Maya Winterhoff led the team in aces, serving up four, in addition to nine kills and five blocks. Sophomore
Ava Leahy led the team with seven blocks and redshirt junior
Addison Heidemann led the team in assists, making 34 of the Mountaineers' 39 assists. Junior
Kenady Roper led the team with 11 digs, while freshman
Elise Marchal registered another double-double with 10 kills and 10 digs. As a team, the Mountaineers served up 13 aces and made 12 blocks.
The Mountaineers fell short to ODU in three sets on Oct. 12. Marchal recorded her third consecutive double-double on the season, leading the team in kills (10) and digs (10). Fellow freshman
Bella Hutchens matched her career high nine kills while Heidemann tallied 27 assists.
Around the Mountain
Winterhoff continues to lead the Mountaineers in kills (165) and blocks (63 (eight solo, 55 assists)). She averages 2.84 kills per set and leads the SBC in hitting percentage (4.01). Heidemann leads the team in assists with 344 on the year, averaging 7.17 per set. Marchal leads the team in aces, posting 14, and boasts a team-high six double-doubles on the season, tallying 133 kills and 127 kills on the season thus far. Leading the Mountaineers in the digs category is Roper, who has 164 on the year and averages 2.83 digs per set.
In the Sun Belt, App State stands third in hitting percentage (.234), sixth in kills per set (12.45), and seventh in assists per set (11.53).
Scouting Georgia Southern
App State last met Georgia Southern in Statesboro on Nov. 3 and 4 last fall, dropping both contests. The Mountaineers lead the series against the Eagles, 40-20.
Leading the league and ranked third in the nation in digs per set with 5.78 is Ashlyn Lovett. Lovett ranks fourth in the Sun Belt and stands 57th in the NCAA in total digs (295).
Barth is the Eagles' kills leader, tallying 179 on the season, and leads the league and ranks among the NCAA's top-30 in aces per set. Barth also stands second in the league in kills per set (3.65) and points per set (4.49) in addition to third in the total aces category (24). Standing second in the Sun Belt and ranking 76th in the NCAA in assists per set is Kirsten Barrett with 9.55. Barrett leads the team and ranks third in the league in total assists, tallying 487 on the season thus far.
Georgia Southern is 14-1 (4-0 SBC) on the season, only dropping a contest to Auburn at the War Eagle Invitational on Aug. 30th. The Eagles come to Boone after a pair of victories over Troy, sweeping the Trojans on Oct. 10 and pulling out a 3-2 victory on Oct. 11. Georgia Southern was scheduled to open conference action with a pair of matches against Old Dominion on Sept. 27 and 28, but the matches were canceled due to Hurricane Helene. The Eagles opened Sun Belt action with a pair of sweeps against Marshall on Oct. 3 and 4. In non-conference play, Georgia Southern recorded seven sweeps, six of which were notched at their back-to-back home tournaments (Sept. 12-14 and Sept. 19-21). The Eagles and Mountaineers have both crossed paths with Wofford, Clemson, and Winthrop this season.
In the Sun Belt, Georgia Southern leads the league in assists per set (12.9), digs per set (17.96), hitting percentage (.262), and kills per set (13.9). In the NCAA rankings, the Eagles land third in digs per set, 14th in kills per set, and 22nd in assists per set.
Looking Ahead
The Mountaineers will host Coastal Carolina on Oct. 24 and 25. Both matches are scheduled for 6 p.m. serves and will be available to stream on ESPN+.
