BOONE, N.C. – The App State volleyball team came back from a ten-point deficit in the third set to record a 3-0 (25-21, 26-24, 26-24) sweep against Coastal Carolina in the Holmes Convocation Center on Friday.
"What a weekend. We haven't beaten Coastal since 2018 and it was incredible to beat them twice this weekend," said head coach Sarah Rumely Noble. "This team is gutsy. We were down 19-9 in the third set today and never gave up and won the set, 26-24. I say it all the time, but the belief is high. I love this team. Thanks to all the fans who came out to push us over the finish line tonight. It was electric in Holmes."
App State 3, Coastal Carolina 0
Senior
Lulu Ambrose led the Mountaineers in the kills category, slamming down 12. Sophomore
Ava Leahy and freshmen
Bella Hutchens and
Elise Marchal made nine kills apiece. Marchal and junior
Maya Winterhoff matched with four blocks apiece. Redshirt junior
Addison Heidemann served up six of the Black and Gold's nine aces, including three consecutive aces late in the third set. Heidemann also made 35 of the Mountaineers' 38 assists on the night. Leading App State in the digs category was sophomore
Caroline Farthing with 11 digs, followed by
Kenady Roper, who made 10 digs.
App State served up nine aces to Coastal Carolina's two. The Mountaineers outpaced the Chanticleers in kills (45-39), digs (52-49), and assists (38-33).
The Mountaineers held Coastal to 11 kills in the first set. Despite a pair of Coastal blocks to start the set, App State answered with a kill from Ambrose and an ace from Heidemann. With a pair of 3-0 runs that included kills from Marchal, Hutchens, and Leahy, as well as blocks from the duo of Winterhoff and Marchal and the duo of Leahy and Marchal, App State took an 8-5 lead. Despite Coastal meeting the Mountaineers at 16 all, App State pulled ahead, 21-17, after kills from Hutchens and Leahy and an ace from Marchal. A trio of Coastal Carolina errors brought the Mountaineers to set point, 24-20. With an assist from Heidemann, Ambrose made the final kill, sealing the set for the Mountaineers, 25-21, which was the third-straight set in the weekend series that App State won with a score of 25-21.
App State came out hot in the second set, jumping to a 5-0 lead after a kill from Marchal, a Heidemann ace, a pair of Ambrose kills, and a CCU error. Building off another kill from Ambrose and back-to-back kills from Hutchens, App State extended the lead to 8-2. Coastal Carolina steadily chipped away at the deficit, edging past the Mountaineers, 14-13, but App State was quick to answer with a 4-0 run that featured kills from Leahy, Ambrose, and Winterhoff. After a kill from Ambrose, an ace from Heidemann, and a solo block from Winterhoff, the Black and Gold extended its lead to 20-16. CCU met App State at 23 all and edged ahead, 24-23, but the Mountaineers bounced back, as Hutchens and Ambrose made kills to reinstate App State's lead at 25-24. App State took the set, 26-24, after a Coastal error.
In the third and final set, Coastal Carolina established an early 4-0 lead. App State chipped away at the deficit as CCU pulled ahead. The Mountaineers came back from a 19-9 deficit in impressive fashion late in the set. The Black and Gold found a spark after a kill from Hutchens. A kill from Marchal followed by two consecutive kills from Leahy cut the deficit to 20-13. Building off another kill from Hutchens, a CCU error, a kill from Leahy, and a block from the duo of Leahy and Heidemann, the Mountaineers closed the gap to 21-17. Down 23-18, App State went on an impressive 6-0 run that featured a kill from Ambrose, a block from the duo of Winterhoff and Marchal, three consecutive aces from Heidemann, and another block from the duo of Marchal and Winterhoff. The run gave the Mountaineers a 24-23 edge. Coastal Carolina tied things up at 24 all, but a final kill from Marchal and a Chanticleer error clinched the set for the Mountaineers, 26-24, and the match, 3-0.
Looking Ahead
The Mountaineers will travel to Atlanta, Ga. for a pair of clashes against Georgia State on Nov. 1 and 2. Friday's match is slated for 6 p.m. and Saturday's match is scheduled for 2 p.m. Both will be available to stream on ESPN+.
