The App State volleyball team fell four sets to Georgia Southern (3-1 (29-27, 25-13, 28-26, 25-20) after a hard-fought battle in Statesboro on Saturday.

“Even though we didn’t get the result we wanted, we found our grit and our fight,” said head coach Sarah Rumely Noble. “We had some really bright moments as we prepare for the final weeks of the season. I’m always proud of this team.”

Junior Lulu Ambrose posted a team-high 17 kills, followed by sophomore Maya Winterhoff, who posted 11 kills. Winterhoff also served up a team-high four aces. Fifth year senior McCall Denny recorded her 29th career double-double with 10 kills and 10 digs. Senior Sophie Cain and redshirt freshman Katie Cruise each made 24 assists, while sophomore Alyssa McBean posted a team-high 16 digs. Freshman Delanie Grevengoed recorded the team’s sole block with a solo block.

The Mountaineers and Eagles fought point-for-point in the first set until Georgia Southern took a 10-6 lead. A pair of kills from Ambrose and Denny, as well as an Eagle error, cut the deficit to 10-9. The Mountaineers took a 13-11 lead after a 4-0 run that included kills from junior Lily Harvey and Grevengoed. The Mountaineers and Eagles matched at 18 all before the Eagles found momentum to take a 23-20 lead. Down 24-21, the Mountaineers managed to take a 25-24 edge with a 4-0 run that included a pair of kills from Ambrose. A kill form freshman Ava Leahy put App State up 26-25. A last kill from Ambrose tied things up at 27 all, but Georgia Southern managed to take the set, 29-27.

App State took an early 5-1 lead in the second set, building off kills from Grevengoed, Winterhoff, and Denny. Back-to-back kills from Leahy and Ambrose extended App State’s lead to 7-4. Georgia State was quick to erase the deficit and jump ahead 19-11. Despite back-to-back kills from Winterhoff, the Eagles took the second set, 25-13.

App State took a 4-2 lead with a 3-0 run in the third set. Georgia Southern built off a 5-0 run and 4-0 run to jump ahead 14-9. The Mountaineers continued to chip at the Eagles’ lead and found their stride with an impressive 7-0 run that brought the Mountaineers within one of the Eagles’ lead (21-20). Georgia Southern took a 23-20 lead, but the Mountaineers answered with a kill from Ambrose and a trio of consecutive aces from Winterhoff to take a 24-33 edge. App State broke a 25 all tie with a kill from junior Lauren Pledger, her first of the night. A kill from freshman Taylor McNear and an ace from McBean sealed the set for the Mountaineers, 28-26.

In the fourth and final set, App State took a 5-4 lead with a 4-0 run that included back-to-back kills from Winterhoff. Georgia Southern jumped to a 14-9 lead after a 5-0 run and 3-0 run. Kills from Ambrose, Pledger, Grevengoed, and Winterhoff cut the deficit to 17-14. The Mountaineers continued to chip away at the Eagles’ lead as Denny, Winterhoff, and Ambrose made strong kills. Winterhoff also recorded an ace to close the gap to 22-19. Ambrose slammed down a final kill before Georgia Southern took the set, 25-20, and match, 3-1.

The Mountaineers will close out the regular season with a pair of matches at Louisiana. Both matches will be available to stream on ESPN+. Friday’s match is set for 6 p.m. CT (7 p.m. ET) and Saturday’s match is set for 1 p.m. CT (2 p.m. ET).