App State volleyball defeated Coastal Carolina Thursday for the first time since Oct. 21, 2018 — almost 2,200 days ago — and did so in front of the Mountaineers faithful who stood by them through thick and thin.
The Mountaineers triumphed over the Chanticleers on Thursday in four sets, winning 25-18, 25-27, 25-21, 25-21.
The first set looked to be headed in Coastal Carolina’s favor after they grabbed the first two points and led midway through the set 13-12. App State had other ideas, winning 13 of the last 18 points by getting contributions from all over the court and capitalizing on Coastal Carolina’s mishaps.
During the extended run, four different Mountaineers recorded at least one kill, sophomore libero Caroline Farthing notched a service ace, and the Mountaineers collected four points due to bad sets or errors by the Chanticleers.
Coastal Carolina would not let the mistakes deter them as they got out to a 10-6 lead in the second set. Much like the first though, the Mountaineers came roaring back with a 10-2 extended run with kills from five different players, an ace from freshman right side Elise Marchal, and freshman outside hitter Bella Hutchens combining with sophomore Ava Leahy on a crucial block.
However, the Chanticleers had the last laugh in the set, responding with a 7-1 run of their own, withstanding a late 5-1 run by the Mountaineers and tying the match at one set each with back-to-back aces from middle blocker DiLara Unal to cap off a wild set.
Coastal Carolina once again came out strong to start the third set, at one point leading 14-10. Once again, App State showed their ability to keep cool under pressure and went on a 5-1 run to tie the set. The Chanticleers tallied back-to-back points before the Mountaineers got hot, embarking on a 6-0 run that featured Hutchens racking up three straight kills and winning 10 of the last 14 points to put away the third set.
The fourth and final set saw App State and Coastal Carolina trade the lead early, but the set took a turn when Chanticleers’ outside hitter Emily Fowler committed a service error to give App State a lead they wouldn’t surrender. The error was immediately followed by a service ace from Marchal, giving the Mountaineers enough momentum to go on a 6-1 run and establish control of the set.
Coastal Carolina got back within one point thanks to a 4-0 run, but Leahy put a stop to that with an emphatic kill to spark a 5-1 run for the Mountaineers. One more 6-1 run late in the set created too big a gap for the Chanticleers to overcome, and a service error from Coastal Carolina outside hitter Emma Van Elslande was the final blow as App State celebrated a win over Coastal Carolina for the first time in six years.
It took a total team effort, and the team certainly delivered. Five players reached double digits in kills: Hutchens, Marchal, Leahy, junior middle blocker Maya Winterhoff and senior outside hitter Lulu Ambrose. Leahy set a career-high in total blocks with nine, Marchal had three aces to go with four total blocks and 16 digs and the Mountaineers collected more kills, aces, blocks, assists and digs than Coastal Carolina.
Although it had been six years since App State had beaten Coastal Carolina, the Mountaineers delivered a performance that made the wait worth it.
