ELON, N.C. – The App State volleyball team battled back from an early deficit to open the 2026 season with a 3-1 victory over Elon on Tuesday night inside Schar Center. The Mountaineers dropped the opening set 25-22 before answering with back-to-back 26-24 victories and closing out the match with a 25-15 fourth-set win.
The victory marks App State's first of the season as the Mountaineers begin the year 1-0.
After Elon claimed the opening frame, App State responded with a pair of tightly contested sets. The Mountaineers edged the Phoenix 26-24 in the second set before repeating the score in the third to take a 2-1 advantage heading into the fourth.
App State saved its strongest offensive performance for the final frame, hitting .224 as a team for the match while finishing with 53 kills on 134 attacks. The Mountaineers limited Elon to a .144 hitting percentage, holding the Phoenix to 48 kills with 29 errors.
Bella Hutchens led the offensive charge with a match-high 19 kills, finishing with a .310 hitting percentage and five digs. Chelsea Gilmore and Raegan Richardson each added 10 kills, while Richardson also dished out a team-high 32 assists and recorded 10 digs.
Lou Johnson provided a strong presence at the net, collecting six kills on 13 attacks while adding a match-high six block assists. Gilmore contributed three block assists, while Richardson and Nevaeh Hays each added three as App State finished with nine total blocks.
Defensively, MeMe Davis anchored the Mountaineers with a match-high 25 digs. She also added six assists and one service ace. Richardson contributed 10 digs, while Bella Dafforn tallied six digs and two aces.
The Mountaineers also held an edge from the service line, recording six aces to Elon's five. Richardson and Dafforn each delivered two aces, while Davis and Amelia Mancino added one apiece.
App State's balanced effort helped the Mountaineers close the match on a 25-15 fourth-set victory, securing the team's first win of the 2026 campaign.
The Mountaineers return to action on Friday at their home tournament, the Mountaineer Open.
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