The App State volleyball team swept Old Dominion, 3-0 (25-12, 25-19, 25-16) on Thursday in the first of two matches with the Monarchs. Thursday’s sweep marked the Black and Gold’s ninth sweep of the season.

The Mountaineers return to the court at 6 p.m. on Friday for their second match against ODU. Friday’s match will also feature a bounce house.

Due to the App State Homecoming Parade on Friday, Rivers Street will be closed from approximately 5:45 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Fans are encouraged to arrive early to the 6 p.m. volleyball match. Until 5:45 p.m., fans will have access to park in the John E. Thomas Hall parking lot and the Rivers Street Deck. After 5:45 p.m., the closest parking areas to the Holmes Center will be along University Avenue and Legends (190 Hardin St.). Parking will not be accessible at the Hill Street lot.

Fifth year senior McCall Denny and sophomore Maya Winterhoff recorded nine kills each. After Thursday’s match, Denny is a mere three kills away from reaching 1,000 career kills. Winterhoff recorded a hitting percentage of .818 on the evening. Winterhoff also matched with freshman Delanie Grevengoed in the blocks category, both totaling a team-high four blocks apiece. Grevengoed also made six of six kills against ODU. Sophomores Katie Cruise and Kenady Roper posted two aces apiece. Cruise also posted 13 assists and five digs. Senior Sophie Cain led the team in the assists category, tallying 18.

App State posted 39 kills, eight aces, and seven blocks. The Mountaineers also tallied 33 assists and 23 digs.

The Mountaineers and Monarchs fought point-for-point early in the first set until App State broke a 5-5 tie with a pair of kills from freshman Ava Leahy and Winterhoff. A pair of consecutive kills from Grevengoed extended App State’s lead to 9-6. After back-to-back kills from juniors Lauren Pledger and Lulu Ambrose followed by a Denny ace, App State took a 15-9 lead. With a 6-0 run that included a trio of Ambrose kills and a kill from Winterhoff, the Black and Gold jumped ahead, 21-10. A kill from Winterhoff and ODU error capped the set. App State held Old Dominion to 12 points in the first set, which is the lowest points in a set scored by an opponent this season since App State held Bethune-Cookman to 11 points in the first set of its 3-0 sweep over the Wildcats on Sept. 1.

Old Dominion found momentum in the second set, taking a 7-4 lead, but the Mountaineers steadily chipped away at the deficit. A 4-0 scoring run that included a pair of Winterhoff kills, an ace from Cruise, and block from Winterhoff/Ambrose, gave the Black and Gold a 13-11 edge. With a Denny kill and Winterhoff ace, App State extended its lead to 16-13. As ODU worked to keep pace with the Mountaineers, a pair of kills from Pledger and a pair of kills from Ambrose put App State ahead, 21-17. The Mountaineers took the second set, 25-19, after a 4-0 run.

In the third and final set, App State took a 9-6 lead with a 5-0 scoring run that included a kill from Leahy as well as a pair of aces from Roper. Another 5-0 scoring run brought the Mountaineers to a 17-9 lead. The five consecutive points included a kill from Grevengoed, a pair of blocks from Pledger/Grevengoed, and solo block from Pledger. Kills from Denny and Pledger brought App State to 20 points. Winterhoff slammed down a kill and went up for a solo block to extend the Mountaineers’ lead to 23-14. The Black and Gold took the third set, 25-16, and match, 3-0, after a block from Grevengoed/Winterhoff.