BOONE, N.C. – The App State volleyball team fell short in a five-set battle (15-25, 26-24, 13-25, 25-23, 11-15) against Troy in the Holmes Center on Friday.
"It was a tough loss, but a valiant effort by our seniors, who have given so much to this program," said head coach
Chad Sutton. "We have to rally around them tomorrow and rally back to finish this season on a win."
Troy 3, App State 2
App State (14-12, 5-10 SBC) honored seniors
Addison Heidemann,
Keionna Mackey,
Ali Morris, and
Maya Winterhoff for Senior Night. Winterhoff, Morris, and Mackey combined for 35 of App State's 46 kills on the night. Winterhoff led the Mountaineers with 13 kills on a clip of .478. Morris contributed 11 kills and Mackey made an even ten kills. Heidemann registered her ninth double-double of the season (20th of her career), dishing out 39 of App State's 41 assists and making 12 digs. Sophomore
MeMe Davis led the team with 21 digs, while junior
Akila Hardie went up for a team high five blocks, four of which she made in the second set.
Despite knotting the score thrice with Troy early in the first set, the Trojans controlled the lead for the duration of play. Down 12-7, App State managed to cut the deficit to one (12-11) with a 4-0 run that featured kills from Winterhoff and Morris. The Trojans' momentum carried and it took the set, 25-15, with a late 8-1 run.
Troy took a 4-3 edge early in the second set, but App State edged ahead, 6-4, for the only lead change with a kill from sophomore
Bella Hutchens, and back-to-back blocks from the duos of Heidemann and Hardie and Morris and Hardie. Building off another block from Morris and Hardie, kills from Hutchens and Hardie, as well as a pair of aces from Hutchens, App State took a 17-11 lead. Heidemann set Winterhoff up for a kill (23-16), which Troy answered with a 5-0 run to narrow the deficit to two. Morris kept the Mountaineers ahead, but Troy managed to knot the score at 24 all. App State secured the set, 26-24, after a Trojan error and a block from the duo of Morris and Hardie.
Heidemann set Winterhoff up for a kill to start the third set, but the Trojans found momentum to take the set, 25-13. Entering the match in the fourth set, redshirt sophomore
Delanie Grevengoed made an immediate impact with a pair of kills. App State and Troy fought through 16 ties for the tightest set of the night. Down by one late in the set, the Mountaineers went on a 4-0 run that featured a Morris ace and back-to-back kills from Mackey to reach set point. Troy held App State to a pair of set points, but a block from Mackey and Winterhoff capped the set, 25-23, to push for a fifth.
Grevengoed and Morris made kills to knot the score at 3-3 early in the fifth set. With back-to-back kills from Morris and a setter's dump from junior
Maria Contreras, App State pushed ahead, 6-5. A kill from Winterhoff and Trojan error kept the Mountaineers ahead, 8-7. Troy managed to muster momentum to push past the Mountaineers and take the set, 13-11, and match, 3-2.
Looking Ahead
The Mountaineers return to the court for a 2 p.m. rematch against the Trojans (9-14, 7-8 SBC) on Saturday. Saturday's regular season finale will highlight the Mountaineers' milestones from throughout the season and will feature a postgame autograph session.
App State Senior Recognition
(as pictured from left to right)
Ali Morris,
Maya Winterhoff,
Addison Heidemann, and
Keionna Mackey.
