The Mountaineers traveled to face Coastal Carolina for a weekend double header, losing the first match 0-3.
The Black and Gold started the first set strong with a 4-0 lead, behind a block from sophomore Maya Winterhoff and kills from junior Lulu Ambrose and freshman Ava Leahy.
The Chanticleers went on a 5-0 run to go up 9-8. Despite kills from multiple Mountaineers, Coastal Carolina won the first set 25-19.
The second set was more of the same as the Mountaineers jumped to a quick 5-3 lead, behind a kill from freshman Delanie Grevengoed and an ace from senior Sophie Cain.
However, Coastal Carolina went on multiple runs to win the second set 25-13.
The third set was close until the end, as the Mountaineers had kills from Ambrose, Grevengoed and Winterhoff. The Chanticleers completed the sweep, winning the third set 25-23.
The second match saw another Mountaineer defeat as Coastal Carolina won 3-1.
App State had a strong first set with kills from Winterhoff and Ambrose to gain a 8-4 lead. Fifth-year senior McCall Denny helped maintain the lead with a pair of kills, leading the Mountaineers to win the first set 25-21.
The second set saw 4-0 runs from both teams to tie the match 4-4 early. The Chanticleers gained a 13-8 advantage. Despite kills from Grevengoed, Denny, Winterhoff and Leahy the Chanticleers kept control and won the second set 25-17.
The third set started off on the right foot with an ace from sophomore Alyssa McBean. The Black and Gold led 7-6 due to kills from Denny and Leahy and blocks from Winterhoff and Ambrose.
The match eventually tied at 17-17 due to back and forth runs between the squads.
A pair of late runs was not enough as Coastal Carolina got the best of App State by a score of 25-23.
The Black and Gold started the fourth set strong much like the previous two. Kills from Grevengoed, Winterhoff and Denny combined with an ace from Cain would help the Mountaineers jump to an early 8-5 lead.
A series of runs by the Chanticleers saw them take a 13-10 lead that was too much for App State.
Coastal Carolina went on to win the set 25-17, giving the Chanticleers the overall match win, 3-1. With the loss, the Black and Gold drop their sixth consecutive after starting the season with nine straight wins.
The Mountaineers return home to host Georgia State Oct. 6-7. The first match is slated for 6 p.m. on Friday and Saturday’s match is set for 1 p.m. Both matches can be streamed on ESPN+.
