The App State volleyball team fell to Georgia Southern in three sets (3-0 (25-23, 25-15, 25-14)) on Friday.

Fifth year senior McCall Denny and junior Lulu Ambrose tallied seven kills apiece, while sophomore Maya Winterhoff recorded six kills and a hitting percentage of .429. Redshirt freshman Katie Cruise recorded a team-high 14 assists, followed by senior Sophie Cain, who made 12 assists. Cruise also served up the Mountaineers’ sole pair of aces on the night. Denny, Winterhoff, senior Meghan Dombrowski, and junior Lily Harvey each notched a block against the Eagles. Sophomore Alyssa McBean led the team in the digs category, tallying 10.

App State and Georgia Southern fought through a tight first set. App State took a 9-7 edge with a 4-0 scoring run that included kills from freshman Ava Leahy and Cain, as well as an ace from Cruise. A kill from Denny followed by a solo block by Winterhoff kept App State ahead (12-11). After a kill from Ambrose tied things at 15 all, Georgia Southern broke the tie with a 3-0 run. App State answered with a 3-0 run that included Cruise’s second ace of the evening and another Ambrose kill (18-18). Battling point-for-point, App State managed to tie the score at 22 all with back-to-back kills from freshman Delanie Grevengoed and Denny. Georgia Southern took the first set, 25-23.

Georgia Southern jumped to an early 9-4 lead in the second set. The Mountaineers closed the deficit to 9-7 after a trio of Eagle errors. App State stayed within two of the Eagles’ lead after a kill from Harvey and an Eagle error (15-13). Despite a pair of kills from Winterhoff, the Eagles found momentum in a late 5-0 run to cap the set, 25-15.

The Mountaineers opened the third set with back-to-back kills from Ambrose and Dombrowski. Georgia Southern met the Black and Gold at 7-7 before taking a 9-7 lead. Kills from Denny and Cain, as well as a block from Harvey/Dombrowski, tied things up at 10 all. Building off a 7-0 run and a 4-0 run, Georgia Southern took a 21-11 lead. Winterhoff and senior Cierra Huntley made a pair of kills, but it wasn’t enough as Georgia Southern took the set, 25-14, and match, 3-0.