BOONE, N.C. – The App State volleyball team (8-2) opened competition at the Mountaineer Classic with a 3-1 (25-18, 25-18, 22-25, 25-21) victory over Duke (3-7) on Friday. The victory marked the Mountaineers' first over the Blue Devils since 1981 as well as their second win over an ACC opponent this fall.
"I'm so proud of the girls and the complete team effort they put on display," said head coach
Chad Sutton. "That is App State Volleyball. Thank you to all those who attended and supported the team tonight. Something special is building and it's great to have everyone be a part of it."
App State 3, Duke 1
Seniors
Keionna Mackey,
Maya Winterhoff, and
Ali Morris led the Mountaineers, each making double-figure kills and combining for 35 of App State's 56 kills. Mackey slammed down a team-high 13 kills, while Winterhoff made 12 kills on a .632 clip. Redshirt senior
Addison Heidemann made 44 of App State's 47 assists, helping the team to a hitting percentage of .247. Sophomore
MeMe Davis led the team with 24 digs, followed by freshman
Bella Dafforn, who registered a career high 15 digs. App State served up seven aces to Duke's three and made nine blocks to the Blue Devils' four.
Throughout the first set the Mountaineers and Blue Devils knotted the score nine times and swapped the lead on four occasions. Sophomore
Lou Johnson broke an 18-all tie with a kill, sparking a 7-0 run from the Mountaineers to secure the set, 25-18. The run featured a pair of Mackey aces as well as a pair of blocks from the duo of Johnson and redshirt sophomore
Delanie Grevengoed.
App State commanded the second set, only allowing Duke to knot the score twice. With a 9-1 run, the Mountaineers broke a 4-4 tie and extended the deficit to 13-5. The run included a pair of Morris aces, kills from Mackey, Morris, and Winterhoff, and a block from the duo of Heidemann and Johnson. Heidemann set junior
Akila Hardie and Winterhoff up for kills to bring the Mountaineers to 20-13. Redshirt freshman
Maddie Smith made her first appearance on the court this fall and served up an ace to bring the Black and Gold to set point (24-16). A Duke error sealed the set for App State, 25-18.
The Mountaineers and Blue Devils tied things up on five occasions, but only exchanged the lead once in the third set as Duke found its footing. The Blue Devils managed to jump ahead, 24-19, but the Mountaineers managed to hold Duke to a trio of set points with a 3-0 run that included a block from the duo of Winterhoff and Morris. Despite the Mountaineers' efforts, Duke took the set, 25-22.
App State and Duke fought through a tight fourth set, going point-for-point and knotting the score on 11 occasions. Back-to-back kills from Mackey and Johnson broke a 15 all tie to push the Mountaineers ahead, 17-15. Heidemann set Morris up for a kill, which Grevengoed followed up for a kill of her own to push the Black and Gold ahead, 20-17. Winterhoff slammed down a kill to extend the lead to 22-18. Duke managed to come within one of App State's lead with a 3-0 run, but the Mountaineers answered with a 3-0 run of their own. Heidemann set Winterhoff and Mackey up for kills as App State secured the set, 25-21, and the match, 3-1.
Looking Ahead
The Mountaineer Classic continues Saturday with a 4 p.m. match between Duke and Davidson. The Mountaineers will return to the court on Sunday for a 2 p.m. clash against Davidson. The tournament's remaining matches will be available to stream on ESPN+.
Mountaineer Classic Tournament Schedule
App State vs. Duke
Friday, Sept. 19 | 6 p.m.
App State 3, Duke 1
Duke vs. Davidson
Saturday, Sept. 20 | 4 p.m.
Live Stats |
Watch (ESPN+)
App State vs. Davidson
Sunday, Sept. 21 | 2 p.m.
Live Stats |
Watch (ESPN+) |
Tickets
