BOONE, N.C. – The App State volleyball group (10-3, 1-1 SBC) fell quick in 4 units (21-25, 22-25, 25-22, 25-20) to James Madison (8-6, 1-1 SBC) on Saturday.
“We had two really hard-fought matches this weekend against a great opponent,” stated head coach Chad Sutton. “We made enough plays to win the first match and didn’t make enough plays to win the second. We will regroup, learn from our mistakes and continue to climb.”
James Madison 3, App State 1
Senior Maya Winterhoff slammed down a team-high 14 kills and went up for seven blocks, which included App State’s sole solo block of the match. Fellow senior Ali Morris and redshirt senior Addison Heidemann every registered their fourth double-doubles of the season. Morris made 13 kills and a team-high 14 digs, whereas Heidemann made 45 of App State’s 51 assists as well as to 10 digs. Sophomore Lou Johnson matched Morris with 13 kills and recorded a hitting proportion of .423.
App State and James Madison fought by a decent first set. With a 7-1 run, App State took a 10-7 edge, constructing off three consecutive kills from Morris, a block from the duo of Heidemann and Winterhoff, a fourth Morris kill, and back-to-back kills from senior Keionna Mackey. Breaking a 10-10 tie with a kill and ace from Winterhoff, a block from the duo of Heidemann and Johnson, and a kill from Johnson, App State leapt forward, 14-10. JMU discovered momentum and broke a 20-all tie with a 4-0 run to attain set level. JMU took the set, 25-21.
In the second set, the Mountaineers and Dukes knotted the rating on 14 events and swapped the lead six instances. App State managed to push forward, 16-14, with a pair of Winterhoff kills and a block from the duo of Mackey and Johnson. With a kill, Morris tied issues up at 19 all. The Black and Gold gained a 22-21 edge with kills from Winterhoff and Morris, in addition to a block from the duo of Winterhoff and Heidemann, however the Dukes took the set, 25-22, with a late 4-0 run.
The Mountaineers flipped the script by taking the third set, 25-22. Down 4-2 early, the Mountaineers went on a 7-1 run, which included a block from sophomore Bella Hutchens and Winterhoff, a kill and solo block from Winterhoff, and a Morris ace. It can be the one time within the third set the Mountaineers and Dukes exchanged the lead. App State maintained its lead as Johnson, Winterhoff, and Morris contributed kills. A trio of Mackey kills stored the Mountaineers forward, 22-17. JMU managed to slim the deficit to 24-22, however Heidemann set Morris up for a kill to safe set level. Over the course of the set, App State held JMU to a hitting proportion of .083.
Throughout the fourth set, App State and James Madison tied on 10 events and traded the lead 5 instances. The Mountaineers managed to push forward, 17-16, after a kill from Mackey and back-to-back kills from Johnson. JMU answered with a 4-0 run to take a 20-17 lead. Heidemann set Johnson up for a kill to convey the Mountaineers inside two (21-19), however JMU reached set and match level with a 3-0 run. Despite a final JMU error, the Dukes took the set 25-20, and the match, 3-1.
Looking Ahead
The Mountaineers will journey to Lafayette, La. to problem Louisiana on Oct. 3 and 4. Friday’s 7 p.m. ET (6 p.m. CT) match can be accessible to stream on ESPN+. Saturday’s match is scheduled for two p.m. ET (1 p.m. CT) and won’t be accessible to stream.