BOONE, N.C. – The App State volleyball team fought through three tight sets against Clemson, falling short, 3-0 (23-25, 25-27, 25-15), in its first match of the Black & Gold Invitational on Thursday.
Clemson 3, App State 0
Freshman
Elise Marchal registered her first career double-double with 13 kills and 12 digs, marking career highs and leading the team in both categories. She also recorded a hitting percentage of .542. Junior
Maya Winterhoff recorded 11 kills and a hitting percentage of .304 in addition to a team-high three blocks. Freshman
Julianna Horta made a team-high 37 assists. Horta and junior
Kenady Roper served up the Mountaineers' sole pair of aces.
App State matched Clemson in the kills category, each tallying 43 on the night. The Mountaineers managed to hold the Tigers to 11 kills in the first set, compared to App State's 14. The Mountaineers had 42 assists compared to Clemson's 36, and 46 digs compared to Clemson's 44. The Mountaineers kept a steady pace with the Tigers in the first two sets, never falling behind more than five points behind.
Early in the first set the Mountaineers erased a 9-4 deficit, going on a 4-0 run as Horta served up an ace that was followed by back-to-back kills from senior
Lulu Ambrose to cut the lead to 9-8. Finding momentum in another 4-0 run, kills from Marchal and Winterhoff as well as a block from the duo propelled App State ahead, 13-11. Marchal managed to slam down a perfect 4-of-4 kills in the first set. The Mountaineers and Tigers kept pace with each other until Clemson pulled ahead, 24-20. The Black and Gold managed to hold the Tigers to three set points and come within one of the Tigers at 24-23 with kills from Winterhoff, freshman
Maddie Smith, and a block from the duo. Clemson edged ahead to take the set, 25-23.
In the second set, the Mountaineers and Tigers knotted the score 15 times and traded the lead six times. As she had in the first set, Marchal put the Mountaineers on the board with a kill. The Mountaineers took an early 5-2 lead, building off a pair of kills from Smith and a kill from Winterhoff. As The Black and Gold fought through the tight set, the Mountaineers took a 23-22 edge after Roper's ace, a block from the duo of Winterhoff and Marchal, and a kill from Smith. Another kill from Smith brought the Mountaineers to set point, but Clemson bounced back and took the set, 27-25.
In the third and final set, Clemson established a hefty 11-2 lead. Despite this, Leahy, Ambrose, and Winterhoff cut into the deficit with a trio of kills. As the Tigers continued to build their lead, the Mountaineers continued to fight, seeing kills from Winterhoff, Marchal, and Smith. A final kill from Winterhoff held Clemson to a match point, but it wasn't enough as the Tigers took the set, 25-15, and the match, 3-0.
Looking Ahead
The Mountaineers will take on Winthrop at 6 p.m. on Friday and close out the Black & Gold Invitational with a 4 p.m. match against Wofford on Saturday.
Full Mountaineer Classic Schedule & Results
Thursday, Sept. 12
Wofford 3, Winthrop 0 |
Results
Clemson 3, App State 0 | Results
Friday, Sept. 13
3:30 p.m. - Clemson vs. Wofford |
Live Stats |
ESPN+
6 p.m. - App State vs. Winthrop | Live Stats | ESPN+ | Tickets
Saturday, Sept. 14
1 p.m. - Winthrop vs. Clemson |
Live Stats |
ESPN+
4 p.m. - App State vs. Wofford | Live Stats | ESPN+ | Tickets
