The Mountaineers traveled to Huntington, West Virginia for a volleyball packed weekend against the Marshall Thundering Herd.
The Black and Gold fell to the Thundering Herd in their first match 3-0.
The Mountaineers opened up the first set with a 4-0 run thanks to kills from sophomore middle blocker Maya Winterhoff and junior middle blocker Lauren Pledger. Kills from junior outside hitter Lulu Ambrose helped the Mountaineers maintain a lead, until Marshall tied the set 11-11.
Marshall took a 20-17 lead and ended the set on a 5-0 run to capture the set, 25-17.
The second set once again started with multiple kills from the Mountaineers. Freshman right side Delanie Grevengoed, fifth-year senior outside hitter McCall Denny, and Pledger all contributed kills to give the Black and Gold an early 4-1 lead. Blocks from Pledger and Denny as well as multiple kills the Black and Gold gained a 9-2 lead.
However, the Thundering Herd went on a 5-0 run to tie the set at 17. They took this momentum into a 25-21 set win.
Three kills from Denny, Pledger and Ambrose opened the third set giving App State a 5-3 lead. The match then tied at 12 due to an Ambrose kill. Marshall ended the set on a pair of runs to secure a 25-16 win, and took the match 3-0.
The Black and Gold battled to a 3-2 loss in the second game.
Marshall took an early 14-7 lead in the first set. Despite kills from Grevengoed and Denny, the Thundering Herd won the set 25-20.
App State and Marshall were neck and neck throughout the second set and knotted the score at 17. Marshall broke the tie and took a 20-17 lead. Kills from Winterhoff and Grevengoed and an ace from Winterhoff helped the Mountaineers keep the set close, allowing the Mountaineers to win the set 25-23.
The Mountaineers jumped out to an early 15-11 lead due to kills from Winterhoff and Pledger. A pair of kills from freshman right side Ava Leahy helped the Black and Gold expand their lead to 20-13. The Mountaineers continued this momentum and won the set 25-20.
A pair of aces from Denny and senior setter Sophie Cain gave the Black and Gold an early 12-8 lead to start the third set. App State led for the entirety of the set. Kills from Pledger and Winterhoff propelled the Mountaineers to a 25-19 win.
Marshall took a 6-3 lead to start the final set. They would not look back as they went on a 5-0 run to take a 11-5 lead. The Thundering won the set 15-10 and ultimately the match, 3-2.
The Black and Gold will be back in action on Oct. 26-27 for the final home stretch of the season. Both matches are slated for 6 p.m. and can be streamed on ESPN+.
