App State Volleyball Looks Ahead to Clemson Invitational

BOONE, N.C. – The App State volleyball team (2-1, 0-0 SBC) will travel to Clemson, S.C., for tournament play this weekend, facing in-state opponents East Carolina and UNC Greensboro before concluding the weekend Sunday against host Clemson. All matches will have live stats available at appstatesports.com, while the match against Clemson will be broadcast on ESPN+.
 

LAST TIME OUT

The Mountaineers are coming off a 2-1 weekend at the Charlotte Invitational, where they battled NC A&T in a five-set match that ultimately went in favor of the Aggies. Following Friday's loss, the Black and Gold bounced back with a five-set thriller over Charlotte on Saturday before riding that momentum into a Sunday morning sweep of Bryant.

Two Mountaineers earned all-tournament honors following the weekend, led by Chelsea Gilmore after a career-best defensive performance against Charlotte. Gilmore recorded a career-high 10 total blocks, including seven solo blocks and three assisted blocks. Her seven solo blocks tied for sixth in App State history for most solo blocks in a single match.

Brooke Doherty also earned all-tournament honors after playing all 13 sets without leaving the court. Doherty recorded 42 kills over the weekend while hitting .231, adding 13 digs and three blocks to her impressive tournament performance.

Two other Mountaineers turned in standout performances at the Charlotte Invitational. Bella Hutchens tallied 17 kills against Charlotte while hitting .353, while Delanie Grevengoed delivered a dominant serving performance against Bryant. Grevengoed recorded a career-high eight service aces in just three sets, including a stretch of four consecutive aces. Her eight aces tied for third in App State history for most in a single match.

SCOUTING THE TOURNAMENT FIELD
APP STATE VS. ECU | FRIDAY | 2 P.M.

Friday's match will mark the first meeting between App State and ECU since 2023. The Mountaineers lead the all-time series, 8-6, with the most recent meeting coming Sept. 2, 2023.

Under head coach Adler Augustin, ECU went 12-15 (4-12 AAC) last fall. Two Pirates earned preseason all-conference honors: Angeles Alderete and Taryn Gilreath.

Alderete returns after missing the 2025 season due to injury. A three-time all-conference selection, she has recorded 1,130 kills and 990 digs in her career and needs 10 more digs to become the seventh Pirate with 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs. She also earned 2022 Conference Freshman of the Year and 2024 Preseason Player of the Year honors.

Gilreath earned Preseason All-Conference honors after a standout 2025 season, averaging 7.59 assists and 2.00 digs per set while starting 26 of 27 matches. She recorded the second triple-double in ECU history against Tulane with 14 assists, 11 digs and 10 kills. Gilreath led the Pirates with 767 assists and ranked among the team's top five in digs (202) and aces (22).

APP STATE VS. UNCG | SATURDAY | 1 P.M.

App State leads the all-time series against the Spartans, 29-25, with the teams' last meeting coming Sept. 9, 2023.

UNCG finished 17-12 (9-7 SoCon) last fall under head coach Felicia Turner. The Spartans recently welcomed new head coach Trent Dunahoo, who served as an assistant coach from 2023 until his promotion.

Junior Allie Sweet was named to the SoCon preseason all-conference team after finishing the 2025 campaign with 501 kills, 329 digs and 34 service aces while averaging 4.43 kills per set.

APP STATE AT CLEMSON | SUNDAY | 4 P.M. | ESPN+

The Mountaineers and Tigers will cap competition in Clemson in the final match of the Clemson Invitational Sunday at 4 p.m.

Clemson went 18-14 (6-14 ACC) last fall and added six transfers and three freshmen to its 2026 roster. Freshman Maddie Anspaugh and setter Katherine Sandt have already made an impact for the Tigers, earning ACC weekly honors following the opening weekend. Anspaugh was named ACC Freshman of the Week after leading the conference with 52 kills, while Sandt earned co-Setter of the Week honors.

ON THE HORIZON

The Mountaineers will face Elon on Sept. 8 in Elon, N.C. The match will be available to watch on FloCollege, with live stats accessible at appstatesports.com.

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