HUNTINGTON, WVa. – The App State volleyball team (14-11, 5-9 SBC) fell short in four sets (25-14, 20-25, 19-25, 24-26) to Marshall (15-12, 7-7 SBC) on Friday.
Friday's contest was highlighted by senior
Ali Morris' second career milestone this season, as she surpassed 1,000 career kills. Morris previously eclipsed 1,000 career digs on Oct. 17 at Georgia Southern. She is one of four Mountaineers to have reached a career milestone this fall.
Marshall 3, App State 1
Morris was the Mountaineers' top attacker, slamming down 16 kills for the Black and Gold. Fellow senior
Keionna Mackey made 12 kills in addition to six blocks for the Mountaineers. Winterhoff led the team in blocks with seven and made 11 kills on the afternoon. Redshirt senior
Addison Heidemann registered her seventh double-double of the season (18th of her career) with 34 assists and 16 digs. Sophomore
MeMe Davis led the Black and Gold with 18 digs, while freshman
Bella Dafforn made 11. Davis and Mackey combined for five of App State's six aces on the afternoon.
App State commanded the first set after establishing a 7-1 lead, building off kills from sophomore
Lou Johnson, Mackey, Winterhoff, and Morris, as well as a block from the duo of Winterhoff and Mackey, and an ace from Davis. Marshall narrowed the deficit to four, but the Mountaineers answered with a 4-0 run to maintain a 16-8 lead after a kill from sophomore
Bella Hutchens, a solo block from Johnson, and a pair of Herd errors. App State reached set point with a 7-0 run that featured kills from Morris and Mackey, a pair of Davis aces, and a pair of blocks from the duo of Mackey and Winterhoff. The Herd went on a late 3-0 run, but a block from Winterhoff and Mackey capped the set, 25-14, for the Mountaineers.
The Mountaineers and Herd fought through a tight second set, knotting the score on 11 occasions. Heidemann set Hutchens up for a kill to tie things up at 15 all before Marshall edged ahead, 17-15 for the set's only lead change. Back-to-back kills from Johnson and Morris cut the deficit to two, but Marshall pushed ahead, 23-18. Despite a kill from Winterhoff and a block from Winterhoff and Morris, Marshall took the set, 25-20.
In the third set, App State took an early 4-0 lead with a pair of kills from Mackey, a Herd error, and a kill from Morris. Building off kills from Mackey, Winterhoff, and Morris, App State pushed ahead, 9-7. Marshall jumped ahead, 15-11, with an 8-2 run for the set's only lead change. The Black and Gold met Marshall at 16 all with a 5-2 run that featured kills from Mackey and Morris, an ace from Hutchens, and a solo block from Johnson. Marshall broke the tie with a 5-0 run and managed to take the set, 25-19.
Over the course of the fourth and final set, App State and Marshall knotted the score on seven occasions and traded the lead twice. As the Herd took a 14-9 lead, App State narrowed the deficit to one (14-13) with a pair of kills from Morris, a kill from redshirt sophomore
Delanie Grevengoed, and a Marshall error. Late in the set, App State edged ahead, 20-19, as Johnson made a kill, Mackey served up an ace, and Grevengoed made a solo block. App State reached set point with a kill from Winterhoff, but Marshall surged ahead, 26-24, to take the set, and the match, 3-1.
Looking Ahead
App State will close out regular season play with a pair of home matches against Troy on Nov. 14 and 15. The Mountaineers will honor their seniors
Addison Heidemann,
Keionna Mackey,
Ali Morris, and
Maya Winterhoff on Friday at 6 p.m. for Senior Night. Friday will also be Faculty & Staff Night, where there will be free admission for all App State faculty and staff. Saturday's match is set for 2 p.m. and will celebrate the Mountaineers' milestones from this season. There will be a postgame autograph session following Saturday's regular season finale.
