App State volleyball traveled to South Carolina over the weekend for the Wofford Tournament. This was the Mountaineers second tournament of the season after winning one game in the Charleston Southern Tournament last weekend. 

The Mountaineers opened up the tournament Friday posting back-to-back wins. Opening up, App State played the University of South Carolina Upstate, winning the match 3-1.  

The Black and Gold opened the match up quickly, jumping out to an early 6-0 lead. App State wouldn’t look back from there, commanding the floor to win the first set 25-17. Holding their pace through the first set, they opened the second set with a 9-5 lead before winning the set 25-16. 

University of South Carolina Upstate battled back in a close third set, winning 25-23. The Mountaineers closed the match out in the fourth set after multiple four-point runs allowed them to jump to a 14-5 lead, before closing the match out 25-19. 

Junior outside hitter Madison Baldridge led the Mountaineers with 13 kills, while senior outside hitter McCall Denny and freshman middle blocker Maya Winterhoff followed closely behind with 10 kills each. Junior setter Sophie Cain led the team in assists with 21, with senior setter Sam Bickley right behind with 12. Freshman defensive specialist Kenady Roper continued to impress, posting a team high 17 digs, with Cain posting 13 of her own. 

The Mountaineers continued their momentum to the Wofford game, winning the hard fought match 3-2. App State dropped the first set 25-20 before surging back in the second set, winning 25-22. 

The Mountaineers carried their momentum into a close third set, edging the Terriers out 25-23. Wofford forced a fifth set after steadily leading and winning the fourth, 25-18. The Black and Gold came out strong in the fifth, taking a 7-3 lead early. After back-to-back aces from Roper, junior outside hitter Meghan Dombrowski ended the game with a kill, winning the set 15-7 to clinch the match 3-2. 

Baldridge led the Mountaineers once again with 12 kills, with Denny adding 11 and sophomore Lulu Ambrose with 10. Cain and Bickley had impressive performances, posting 25 and 18 assists each. Both Cain and Bickley were also very active on the defensive floor, posting 11 and 12 digs. Roper led the team in digs, recording 24, while Denny made her presence felt defensively with 14. 

App State continued the tournament Saturday, losing to Eastern Kentucky 3-0. 

Denny led the Mountaineers, posting 12 kills, with Winterhoff right behind at 10. Denny also notched a team high 16 digs in the match, collecting another double-double on the weekend. Cain led the team with 21 assists, while collecting 13 digs during the contest. Cain has already earned four double-doubles on the season. 

Following the conclusion of the tournament, Winterhoff and sophomore Lauren Pledger landed on the All-Tournament Team for their efforts on the court.

The Mountaineers now return home for their home opener to host the Mountaineer Classic, Sept. 9-10. App State will welcome Texas A&M Commerce, Furman and Presbyterian to the High Country for the home opener. 

“I am hopeful people in the stands are going to be able to come out in the middle of their day and want to come see some volleyball,” head coach Sarah Rumely Noble said.