A week after defeating Coastal Carolina for the first time since 2018 and sweeping the Chanticleers at home, App State volleyball made the trip to Atlanta, Georgia, and earned their second conference series sweep in as many weeks by winning both games against Georgia State.

The Mountaineers defeated the Panthers in four sets Friday, 25-17, 21-25, 25-15, 25-21.

App State’s heavy hitters delivered in a huge way. Junior middle blocker Maya Winterhoff had another standout performance, collecting 18 kills, two service aces and a block. Four players—Winterhoff, sophomore middle blocker Ava Leahy, freshman outside hitter Bella Hutchens and senior outside hitter Lulu Ambrose—all had at least 11 kills. Leahy added four blocks, and redshirt junior setter Addison Heidemann racked up 47 assists and 12 digs.

The first set was all about consistently strong play from the Mountaineers. The Black and Gold grabbed the lead of the set on the very first point, courtesy of a kill from freshman right side Elise Marchal, and never relinquished it. 

App State scored three or more points in a row just once: a 3-0 run to win the set. The set was a good sign of a very balanced team that doesn’t have to rely on massive runs but could simply outplay and outpace their opponents.

App State maintained a three-point advantage through the middle of the second set until Georgia State won 10 of the last 13 points to knot the match at one set apiece.

The Mountaineers quickly regrouped and jumped out to an 11-4 lead at the start of the third set. Hutchens had three kills in that span and finished the set with seven, continuing to shine in her debut season.

In contrast to the first set, App State had four runs of at least three points in the third set, using timely blocks and kills to pull away and comfortably take a 2-1 set lead.

The Panthers would not go away easily, as they got a 14-7 advantage in the fourth set. The Mountaineers stormed back by capitalizing on Georgia State’s mistakes. A 7-0 run late in the set, which saw four points come from attack errors by the Panthers, allowed App State to take the lead and never look back. The Mountaineers won the set and the match on a 3-0 run.

The Black and Gold followed up their win on Friday with a victory in five sets on Saturday, 15-25, 25-14, 19-25, 25-19, 15-7. App State has won four games in a row, and the win improved them to 6-1 in games that go to five sets.

The match started with Georgia State easily winning the first set thanks to five runs of at least three points. The Panthers had their way defensively, recording three blocks while limiting App State to a single 3-0 run midway through that was inconsequential to the result of the set.

The Mountaineers showcased their dominance in the second set with a 6-0 run that saw Heidemann serve three aces and ended with a kill by Ambrose to win the set. Ambrose recorded a kill on three of App State’s final five points in the second set and registered 16 kills in total, and Heidemann served four aces in total.

Georgia State took back control of the match with a back-and-forth third set. The Panthers won seven of the first nine points and looked to be cruising until the Black and Gold rallied back, eventually taking a 13-12 lead on an ace from junior libero Kenady Roper. Georgia State would not be denied, going on an 11-3 run and using that momentum to take a 2-1 set lead.

Winterhoff got things started for App State in the fourth, recording a kill and combining on a block with Marchal for the team’s first two points. Georgia State had a hard time containing Winterhoff as she went off for 20 kills, five total blocks and an ace. A 5-0 run for the Black and Gold to close the set tied the match again at two sets each.

The fifth and final set looked to be heading in Georgia State’s favor as they got out to a 6-4 lead, but App State would explode for an 11-1 run that spelled doom for the Panthers. Ambrose recorded four kills in that span, Marchal put on a clinic behind the service line, racking up four aces, and the Mountaineers took advantage of multiple attack errors by the Panthers to put the game out of reach and secure the sweep.

App State has swept three of the teams in their division—James Madison, Coastal Carolina and now Georgia State—and sits atop the Sun Belt East Division standings with an 8-2 conference record to go with a 14-7 overall record.

The Mountaineers will look to keep their win streak going as they face Marshall Friday and Saturday at home. Both games will stream live on ESPN+.