Volleyball Rallies Late to Seize First Victory Over Virginia

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The App State volleyball workforce posted its first program victory over Virginia, 3-2 (25-14, 25-23, 23-25, 24-26, 16-14) on Saturday and rose to 6-0 on the season. Saturday’s victory on the Cavalier Classic additionally marked the Mountaineers’ first win over an ACC workforce since 2015, when the Black and Gold swept Clemson.
 
App State began sturdy, taking the primary two units earlier than Virginia stormed again to take the third and fourth set. The Mountaineers’ true grit confirmed within the fifth and ultimate set as they fought off a number of Cavalier match factors with a late 5-0 run to clinch the match.
 
“We had a tremendous weekend in Charlottesville with two five-set victories over very tough teams,” mentioned head coach Chad Sutton. “This marks the second tournament championship in as many weeks. Our women competed hard and never gave up. No matter what the situation was, they continued to climb and push forward. I could not be more proud to coach these women and excited to be heading home as winners.”
 
A trio of Mountaineers collected Cavalier Classic All-Tournament Team honors, led by senior Maya Winterhoff, who earned her second MVP honor of the season. The Charlottesville, Va. native slammed down 30 kills (3.0 okay/s) on a clip of .538 on the weekend and went up for 12 blocks (one solo, 11 help). Joining Winterhoff on the all-tournament workforce as key contributors had been junior Maria Contreras and redshirt sophomore Delanie Grevengoed. Contreras tallied 28 assists (2.8 a/s), 17 kills with a hitting proportion of .324, seven blocks, and 5 digs. Grevengoed made 15 kills for the Black and Gold and went up for 5 blocks.
 
App State 3, Virginia 2
Against Virginia, a quartet of Mountaineers made double-figure kills, led by Winterhoff who tallied 16 on a hitting proportion of .452. Fellow senior Ali Morris made 15 kills and served up three of App State’s six aces. Contreras, who matched with sophomore Bella Hutchens with 10 kills apiece, registered her first double-double of the season with 16 assists. Redshirt senior Addison Heidemann notched her twelfth profession double-double with a team-high 24 assists and 10 digs. Junior Caroline Farthing made a team-high 11 digs, whereas sophomore MeMe Davis and freshman Bella Dafforn every made 10.  App State outpaced Virginia in kills (62-53) and assists (56-51). The Mountaineers additionally held the Cavaliers to a hitting proportion of .147.
 
The Mountaineers had been fast to erase a 6-2 deficit within the first set with a 5-0 run, which featured kills from Morris and Contreras. Building off a pair of Contreras kills, a Morris kill, and a block from the duo of Contreras and Winterhoff, App State took an 11-7 lead. With a late 7-1 surge that included kills from Hutchens, Morris, and Winterhoff, in addition to a pair of Morris aces, the Black and Gold secured the primary set, 25-14. Over the length of the primary set, the Mountaineers recorded a workforce hitting proportion of .367.
 
App State’s momentum carried into the second set because the Black and Gold jumped to a 4-1 lead with kills from junior Akila Hardie, Morris, and an ace from Davis. Building off a pair of Winterhoff kills, a Morris ace, and a block from the duo of Contreras and Winterhoff, the Mountaineers prolonged the result in 10-5. The Cavaliers managed to catch as much as the Mountaineers and take a 20-18 edge. With a trio of kills from Morris, Winterhoff, and Heidemann, App State edged forward, 23-22. A kill from Winterhoff and Cavalier error sealed the set for the Mountaineers, 25-23.
 
In the third set, the Mountaineers and Cavaliers tied on 9 events and swapped the lead 5 occasions. Late within the set, App State broke a 17-17 tie with a Morris kill and Dafforn ace. Virginia managed to achieve set level with a 3-0 run, and regardless of a kill from Grevengoed, the Cavaliers flipped the script and took the set, 25-23.
 
The Mountaineers took an early 5-1 lead within the fourth set as Heidemann set Hardie and Winterhoff up for kills. The Cavaliers answered with an 8-1 run for the one lead change within the set. App State managed to catch Virginia at 23 all after a block from the duo of Hardie and Grevengoed and a kill from Morris, however Virginia managed to take the set, 26-24.
 
Much just like the fourth set, App State began the fifth with a 5-1 run as Grevengoed, Winterhoff, and Morris slammed down kills. A trio of kills from Hutchens knotted the rating on three events because the Cavaliers tried to ascertain a lead. Virginia managed to drag forward with a 4-1 run to achieve set and match level (14-11). The Mountaineers answered with a 5-0 run that featured a pair of Contreras kills and a block from the duo of Contreras and Winterhoff, to grab the set 16-14 and the win, 3-2, from the Cavaliers. During the fifth set, App State maintained a workforce hitting proportion of .375.
 
Looking Ahead                        
The Mountaineers will head to Kennesaw, Ga. for the Kennesaw State Invitational on Sept. 12 and 13. App State will tackle Michigan State at 2 p.m. on Friday. Saturday’s match in opposition to Kennesaw State is ready for midday and will likely be obtainable to stream on ESPN+.