BOONE, N.C. - The App State volleyball team (6-0) heads to Kennesaw, Ga. for the Kennesaw State Invitational on Friday and Saturday. The Mountaineers will clash with Michigan State (5-0) on Friday at 2 p.m. and Kennesaw State (4-1) on Saturday at noon. Saturday's match will be available to steam on ESPN+. Combined, the Mountaineers, Spartans, and Owls have a record of 15-1. Entering the tournament, App State and Michigan State are two of the remaining 32 teams in the NCAA who stand unbeaten.
Last Time Out
App State posted a pair of 3-2 victories over VCU and Virginia and saw senior
Maya Winterhoff, junior
Maria Contreras, and redshirt sophomore
Delanie Grevengoed collect all-tournament honors at the Cavalier Classic on Sept. 5 and 6. Winterhoff earned her second tournament MVP honor in as many weeks after tallying 30 kills (3.0 k/s) on a mark of .538 as well as 12 blocks (one solo, 11 assists) in her hometown of Charlottesville. Contreras played a key roll in the Mountaineers' late fifth-set rally against the Cavaliers and totaled 28 assists (2.8 a/s), 17 kills, seven blocks, and five digs on the weekend. Grevengoed contributed 15 kills and five blocks for the Black and Gold.
In the Mountaineers' five-set thriller against VCU on Friday, senior
Ali Morris made a team high 15 kills, followed by Winterhoff, who made 14 kills on a mark of .667. Additionally, Winterhoff went up for a team high eight blocks (one solo, seven assists). Grevengoed made 10 kills on a clip of .400. Redshirt senior
Addison Heidemann, sophomore
MeMe Davis, and Contreras each posted double-figure assists, with Davis posting the Mountaineers' first double-double of the season (16 digs, 15 assists).
The Mountaineers punctuated the weekend with its first program victory over Virginia, which was also their first win over an ACC team since 2015. The Black and Gold fought back from a 14-11 deficit in the fifth set against the Cavaliers with a 5-0 run that featured a pair of Contreras kills and a block from the duo of Contreras and Winterhoff to capture the victory. Winterhoff led the Mountaineers with 16 kills and a hitting percentage of .452. Alongside Winterhoff, Morris slammed down 15 kills and served up three of App State's six aces against the Cavaliers. Heidemann and Contreras both registered double-doubles in Saturday's victory. Heidemann made a team high 24 assists and 10 digs, while Contreras tallied 16 assists and 10 kills.
Mountaineer Leaders
With a hitting percentage of .500 on the season thus far, Winterhoff ranks eighth nationally and leads the Sun Belt. Additionally, Winterhoff leads the Mountaineers with 51 kills (3.12 k/s) and has a team high 30 blocks (six solo, 24 assists). She remains matched with fellow senior
Keionna Mackey in aces, both serving up nine this fall. In the assists category, Heidemann continues to lead the Black and Gold with 193 (7.42 a/s). Heidemann is the SBC's leader in total assists on the season. Davis remains the Mountaineers' leader in the digs category with 96 digs on the season (3.69 d/s). App State leads the Sun Belt in assists (301) and kills (325), ranking 45th in the NCAA in both categories.
Scouting the Tournament Field
App State vs. Michigan State | Friday | 2 p.m.
Friday's match will mark the first meeting between App State and Michigan State. Prior to meeting the Mountaineers, Michigan State will clash with Kennesaw State on Thursday.
Michigan State, under the direction of first year head coach and MSU alum Kristen Kelsay, opened the season with a 3-0 sweep of Merrimack on Aug. 30 and have since posted wins over Chicago State, Evansville, Southern Indiana, and Western Michigan. The Spartans lead the Big Ten and rank eighth nationally in aces per set (2.59).
The Spartans' top attacker is junior Taylah Holdem, who has 79 kills on the season thus far and averages 4.65 kills per set. She also possesses the Spartans' sole solo block this fall. Leading MSU in assists (191, 11.24 a/s) and aces (12) is redshirt freshman Malayah Long. Long ranks sixth nationally and leads the Big Ten in assists per set. Additionally, she is the conference's leader in aces per set. Redshirt sophomore Sarah Vellucci has a team high 54 digs, averaging 3.38 per set, while sophomore Breccan Scheck leads the team with 19 blocks.
App State at Kennesaw State | Saturday | 12 p.m. | ESPN+
App State and Kennesaw State have met twice and split a 1-1 series record. The Mountaineers and Owls last met on Sept. 6, 2024. The Black and Gold came up short in three sets to KSU at the 2024 Mountaineer Classic.
Maddie Smith made a team-high eight kills, followed by Winterhoff, who made seven kills with a hitting percentage of .400. Smith also made a team-high 13 digs, while
Julianna Horta led the team with 16 digs.
Kennesaw State is 4-1 on the season and returns to the court after a pair of sweeps against South Carolina State. The Owls opened the season with a 3-0 sweep of Wichita State at the Shocker Volleyball Classic (Aug. 29) before falling short in four sets to Arkansas (Aug. 30). The Owls also chalked up a 3-1 victory over Mercer on Sept. 2. Kennesaw State checks in first in CUSA and fourth nationally in aces per set (2.94).
KSU's top attacker is senior Manu Johnsen, who has 69 kills (4.31 k/s) on a clip of .388 on the season. Johnsen leads the CUSA and stands among the NCAA's top 25 in points per set (5.13) in addition to leading the conference in kills per set. Leading the Owls in assists (97, 5.71 a/s) and aces (11), is sophomore Kaeley Walz. Senior Leah Freeman leads the team in digs with 54, averaging 3.18 digs per set. Redshirt junior Olivia Burrage is KSU's top blocker with 14 (two solo, 12 assists).
On the Horizon
On Sept. 16, the Mountaineers will travel to Chapel Hill to clash with No. 25 ranked North Carolina. First serve is scheduled for 6 p.m. and Tuesday's match will be available to stream on ACCNX. The Mountaineers will then return to Boone to host Duke and Davidson for the Mountaineer Classic (Sept. 19-21).
