HARRISONBURG, Va. — The App State volleyball team travels to Virginia to take on James Madison on Thursday and Friday, with both games scheduled for 6 p.m.
Both teams enter the series 5-1 in conference play, with James Madison (13-5), Georgia Southern and App State currently holding a share of the top spot in the east division standings.
LAST TIME OUT
The Mountaineers split a home series against Georgia Southern, winning the opener 3-1 before dropping Friday's match 3-1.
In match one, App State trailed 23-20 in the opening set before rallying for four consecutive points. Georgia Southern pulled even at 24-all and held four set points, but kills by Charlotte Thompson and Lou Johnson pushed App State back ahead at 29-28. An attack error by the Eagles sealed the 30-28 set victory for the Mountaineers.
After Georgia Southern took the third set to trim its deficit, App State held an 8-7 lead in the fourth set before using a 4-0 run to take control and close out the match.
Thompson led App State with 15 kills, followed by Bella Hutchens with 13 and Johnson with 10. Reagan Richardson dished out a team-high 40 assists, MeMe Davis tallied 19 digs, and Chelsea Gilmore recorded a team-best five blocks.
App State carried that momentum into Friday's opening set, winning 25-21, but the Eagles responded by sweeping the next three sets to claim the victory.
SERIES HISTORY VS. JAMES MADISON
App State and James Madison have met 14 times, with the all-time series tied 7-7.
The Mountaineers last defeated the Dukes on Sept. 26, 2025, in a four-set victory. James Madison countered the following day with a four-set win of its own.
SCOUTING APP STATE
App State is led by juniors Davis on defense, Richardson at setter and Hutchens on offense.
Last season, Davis led the back row with 467 digs, while Hutchens served as one of the primary offensive options on the outside with 244 kills.
Richardson, a transfer from South Florida, has seamlessly taken over the starting setter duties, leading the team in assists while surpassing 2,000 career assists.
SCOUTING JAMES MADISON
James Madison enters at 5-1 in conference play after sweeping South Alabama and Georgia State, while splitting a series with Marshall.
Fourth-year outside hitter Kennedy Louisell leads the Dukes' attack, earning SBC Female Student-Athlete of the Week honors this week alongside two Player of the Week selections this season.
Last season, Louisell put up record-breaking numbers, ranking fourth nationally in points (676), fourth in kills (605), eighth in points per set (5.37) and eighth in kills per set (4.80). She also earned SBC Player of the Week five times during last year's standout season (Sept. 8, Sept. 30, Oct. 7, Oct. 14, and Oct. 28).
Third-year middle blocker Ayen Nhial has also earned conference honors this season, taking home SBC Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 22 after registering 24 blocks across 10 sets at the LD&B Insurance Invitational.
Last fall, the Dukes finished 22-9 overall and 13-3 in SBC play, advancing to the conference tournament championship match with wins over fourth-seeded Troy and second-seeded South Alabama before falling in four sets to top-seeded Arkansas State.
ON THE HORIZON
The Mountaineers will return home to play Louisiana on Oct. 23 and Oct. 24. Both matches will be broadcast live on ESPN+, with live stats available at appstatesports.com.
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