RICHMOND, Ky. — Appalachian State volleyball opened tournament action Friday with wins over Tennessee Tech and Presbyterian to go 2-0 on the day.

The Mountaineers (7-6) rallied from a set down to defeat Tennessee Tech 3-1 in their opener before sweeping Presbyterian 3-0 to cap the sweep. Bella Hutchens powered the attack across both matches, tallying a team-high 31 kills on the day. Setter Raegan Richardson posted 48 total assists, moving within 35 of 2,000 for her career.

After dropping the opening set to Tennessee Tech (3-7), App State responded behind Hutchens, who recorded 16 kills while hitting .257. Richardson helped spark the comeback, increasing her assist percentage from .316 in the opening set to .429 in the second. The Mountaineers closed out the match hitting .325 in the fourth set with a 62% sideout rate.

App State carried that momentum into its second match, dominating the first two sets against Presbyterian (6-7) by matching 25-14 scores. The Mountaineers compiled 28 kills over the opening two frames while holding the Blue Hose to 14. Hutchens again paced the offense with 15 kills while hitting .250.

In a tightly contested final set, App State secured the match sweep on a final kill from Lou Johnson, set up by Richardson.

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