CLEMSON, S.C. – The App State volleyball team battled host Clemson to the brink Sunday afternoon at Jervey Gymnasium, rallying from an early deficit to force a decisive fifth set before falling 3-2 to the Tigers. Clemson took the match by set scores of 26-24, 23-25, 26-24, 17-25 and 15-7.
The Mountaineers came out swinging in the opening set, trading points with the Tigers before Clemson edged App State, 26-24. App State responded in the second set, using a balanced offensive attack to even the match at 1-1 with a 25-23 victory. The Mountaineers recorded 15 kills in the set and hit .250.
Clemson regained the advantage in the third set, again edging App State in extra points, 26-24. The Mountaineers answered once again in the fourth, jumping out to an early lead and never looking back. App State held Clemson to a .000 hitting percentage in the set while posting 14 kills of its own to cruise to a 25-17 victory and force a fifth set.
The Tigers ultimately took control in the deciding set, closing out the match 15-7.
App State finished the afternoon with 65 kills and hit .222 as a team, compared to Clemson's 55 kills and .210 hitting percentage. The Mountaineers also held advantages in assists (58-53), service aces (7-4), and total blocks (11-9).
Brooke Doherty and Bella Hutchens paced the Mountaineers offensively with 15 kills apiece. Doherty added 12 digs, while Hutchens recorded six digs. Lou Johnson turned in a strong performance at the net and on the attack, finishing with 10 kills on a .389 hitting percentage and six total blocks. Chelsea Gilmore added nine kills while hitting .333 and recorded three total blocks.
Raegan Richardson directed the Mountaineer offense with 44 assists, while adding 11 digs and two total blocks. MeMe Davis led App State defensively with 21 digs and added a team-high three service aces.
App State's defense held strong at the net throughout the match, finishing with 11 total blocks. Johnson led the way with six block assists, while Delanie Grevengoed added five block assists and Gilmore contributed three total blocks.
On the weekend, the Mountaineers recorded 173 kills on a mark of .225, 157 assists, 20 service aces, 163 digs and 47 total blocks.
App State will travel to Elon, N.C., on Tuesday to face Elon.
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