BOONE, N.C. - The App State volleyball team (9-2) is set to open Sun Belt play against James Madison (7-5) with a pair of matches on Friday and Saturday. Friday's match is set for 6 p.m., and Saturday's 2 p.m. match is Youth Day. All kids aged 12 and under will receive free admission.
Last Time Out
App State closed out nonconference action with a pair of 3-1 victories over Duke and Davidson at the Mountaineer Classic on Sept. 19-21. Senior
Maya Winterhoff was named the tournament's MVP, which marked her third MVP honor of the season. She was joined by fellow senior
Ali Morris and sophomore
MeMe Davis on the all-tournament team. Winterhoff tallied 22 kills (2.75 k/s), a hitting percentage of .442 and 13 blocks (two solo, 11 assists) on the weekend. Morris matched Winterhoff with 22 kills (2.75 k/s) and recorded 18 digs, five blocks and three aces. Earning her second all-tournament selection of the season, Davis tallied 48 digs (24 per match) and averaged 6.0 digs per set against the Blue Devils and Wildcats.
Last Friday's victory over Duke marked the Mountaineers' first win over the Blue Devils since 1981 and second win over an ACC team this fall. Seniors
Keionna Mackey, Winterhoff and Morris each slammed down double-figure kills and combined for 35 of App State's 56 kills. Winterhoff also recorded a hitting percentage of .632. Redshirt senior
Addison Heidemann guided the team to a hitting percentage of .247 after making 44 of the Mountaineers' 47 assists. Freshman
Bella Dafforn registered a career-high 15 digs.
Against Davidson, Morris posted her third double-double of the season with 12 kills and 12 digs. Winterhoff and sophomore
Bella Hutchens each made 10 kills, and Hutchens recorded a hitting percentage of .450. Heidemann tallied 38 assists and made 11 digs for a double-double of her own.
Mountaineer Leaders
Winterhoff rose to eighth in the nation and continues to lead the Sun Belt in hitting percentage (.461), while also standing second in the league and 12th in the NCAA in total blocks with 63 (11 solo, 52 assists). The Charlottesville, Va., native averages 2.73 kills per set entering Friday, totaling 131 kills through 11 matches. Winterhoff and Mackey pace the team with 14 aces. With 349 assists (7.27 a/s), Heidemann leads the team and ranks third in the conference in total assists. Davis leads the Mountaineers and ranks fourth in the league in digs, totaling 192 digs (4.0 d/s) through 11 matches.
The Mountaineers are tied with Georgia Southern and Georgia State at the top of the SBC's East Division rankings, each entering conference play with a record of 9-2. App State leads the league and stands among the NCAA's top 35 in team total blocks (112). The Black and Gold also stand among the league's top five in aces (75), blocks per set (2.33), assists (534), kills (586) and hitting percentage (.234).
Series History vs. James Madison
App State and James Madison have split the previous 12 matches entering this weekend's series. The Mountaineers last met JMU in Harrisonburg, Va., a year ago to the day. On Sept. 26, 2024, App State swept the Dukes, 3-0. Winterhoff led the Mountaineers with 11 kills on a clip of .450. She also made the Mountaineers' sole solo block of the match. Heidemann dished out 32 of App State's 39 assists, helping the Black and Gold to a hitting percentage of .284, while
Kenady Roper led the team with 15 digs.
On Sept. 27, 2024, the Mountaineers fought back from a two-set deficit for the reverse sweep (3-2) against the Dukes. A quartet of Mountaineers made double-figure kills. Winterhoff slammed down 15 kills with a hitting percentage of .400. Heidemann registered a double-double with 54 of App State's 59 kills and a team-high 19 digs.
Scouting James Madison
James Madison (7-5) opens conference play fresh off a trio of victories over UTRGV, Delaware State and William & Mary at the Erie Insurance Invitational (Sept. 19-21). The Dukes look to extend their four-match win streak, which started with a five-set victory over Ball State on Sept. 14. The Dukes faced a rocky start, dropping a trio of matches to No. 17 Missouri and FGCU, but JMU rallied to pick up wins over Bellarmine (Sept. 5), Princeton (Sept. 6) and Milwaukee (Sept. 12) in nonconference play.
James Madison's top attacker and server is junior Kennedy Louisell. Louisell leads the nation and the Sun Belt in points (249.5) and total kills (232). Additionally, she leads the league and stands third nationally in kills per set (5.16). She also leads the Dukes with a team-high 13 aces. Sophomore Ayen Nhial rounds out the SBC's top five in blocks (49 total - eight solo, 41 assists) as well as blocks per set (1.17). With a team-high 168 digs, senior Julia McNeley averages 3.73 digs per set. Leading the Dukes in the assists category is senior Grace Wenrich, who has 281 assists (6.24 a/s).
In the rankings, JMU leads the league and ranks among the NCAA's top 25 in assists per set (13.36), kills per set (14.27), assists (601) and hitting percentage (.279). The Dukes also rank second in the SBC and 25th nationally in kills (642).
On the Horizon
The Mountaineers will travel to Lafayette, La., to challenge Louisiana on Oct. 3 and 4. Friday's 7 p.m. ET (6 p.m. CT) match will be available to stream on ESPN+. Saturday's 2 p.m. ET (1 p.m. CT) match will not be available to stream.
