WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – The App State volleyball team fell short to Wake Forest in four tight sets (25-18, 18-25, 22-25, 25-27) on Friday at the Wake Forest Invitational in Winston-Salem.
Wake Forest 3, App State 1
Freshmen
Maddie Smith and
Elise Marchal each slammed down double-figure kills. Smith led the team with 14 kills, while Marchal registered her second career double-double with 12 kills and a team-high 17 digs. Marchal also was the Mountaineers' top server of the night with four aces and matched senior
Lulu Ambrose in the blocks category with three apiece. Redshirt junior
Addison Heidemann recorded a double-double of her own with a team-high 44 assists in addition to 11 digs.
After four ties early in the first set, App State (5-5, 0-0 SBC) broke a 5-5 tie with a 5-0 scoring run that included three consecutive kills from Smith and an ace from junior
Maya Winterhoff. Establishing a 10-5 lead, the Mountaineers built off back-to-back kills from Smith and a trio of kills from Leahy to jump ahead, 17-10. As the Demon Deacons tried to catch up, a seventh Smith kill and a pair of Wake Forest service errors brought App State to set point. Heidemann set Marchal up for a kill as the Mountaineers took the set, 25-18.
In the second set, Wake Forest jumped to an early 6-1 lead and extended the deficit after a five-point scoring run. Marchal slammed down three kills to chip into the lead and the Mountaineers managed a late 3-0 run with kills from Smith and Leahy, in addition to a block from the duo of Marchal and Leahy. The Mountaineers managed to hold Wake Forest at set point as Marchal slammed down a kill, but it wasn't enough as the Demon Deacons took the set, 25-18.
In the third set, the Demon Deacons jumped ahead, 4-0, early and controlled the lead for the duration of the set. Despite this, the Mountaineers steadily chipped away at the deficit, closing the lead to two late in the set after a block from the duo of Heidemann and Ambrose, which was followed by a Wake Forest attack error. Heidemann set Smith up for a pair of kills, as the Mountaineers held the Demon Deacons at set point. The duo of Winterhoff and Marchal made a block to come within two, but Wake Forest edged past App state to take the set, 25-22.
The fourth and final set saw eight ties and four lead changes between the Mountaineers and Demon Deacons. As Wake Forest edged ahead, 12-5, App State built off kills from freshman
Bella Hutchens, Ambrose, and Marshall. With a 6-0 scoring run that featured kills from Marchal, Hutchens, and Leahy, as well as a Marchal ace, the Mountaineers closed the gap to 17-16. With a 3-0 run that included kills from Marchal and Ambrose, App State edged ahead, 21-20. Ambrose managed to knot the score at 22 all with a kill before Wake Forest pulled ahead, 24-23. Marchal tied things up at 24 all and Leahy knotted things up at 25 all, but the Demon Deacons managed to take the set, 27-25, and the match, 3-1.
Looking Ahead
The Mountaineers will take on Davidson at 4 p.m. on Saturday to close out action at the Wake Forest Invitational.
