 |
|
| Mountaineers upset Wolfpgack,
continue winning streak |
Josh
Dernosek
Sports Beat |
Josh Brown | Chief Photographer |
Digging, setting and killing their
way past North Carolina State University Tuesday night made the
Appalachian State University women’s volleyball team 5-0
at the start of a season for the first time since 1986.
The Lady Wolfpack drove into Boone looking
to pick up their first victory of the season over a usually weak
Mountaineer squad. There was no such luck this trip as Appalachian
won the best of five series, three games to one.
|
Game 1:
ASU 30, NC State 22
Head coach Chris Redding attributes the early
success of the team to recruitment in the spring and the leadership
of the team captains, Alexis Mosely and Starla Gustafson.
“In the spring we went to get people who
could serve, pass and dig better; I think we did those things a
lot better with the people that we have,” said coach Redding.
“The digging and passing are really considered the ball control
part of the game, [State] is the biggest, strongest team we have
seen this year and we were able to play with them, with the ball
control.”
Game 2:
ASU 30, NC State 18
The match was filled with big plays as the Wolfpack
made it an interesting four games, but every time N.C. State would
make a big play, the Mountaineers countered with a big play of their
own.
Leading the Mountaineers was junior middle blocker
Katherine Dean.
“We worked on her all spring to become a
dominant player in the Southern Conference,” said Redding.
“She’s really improving, and playing against bigger, stronger
and better athletes is going to make her better and more successful.”
Game 3:
NC State 30, ASU 17
Returning for her junior year, Alexis Mosely
played the game at the libera position, which is a new position
this year used as a defensive specialist. The libera player is the
only player that can go in and out of the game without having to
use a normal substitute. Mosely led the match with 18 digs and sparked
many Mountaineer points with SportsCenter worthy dives.
Adding a young spark to the team is the trio
of freshman that Appalachian is starting this year, Chrissy Finch,
Stephanie Panzer and Kali Rumberger.
“We knew that we were going to have to have
freshman step up to be successful this year,” said Redding.
“So far that has held true with all three of them beyond the
court a majority of the time. We still have depth that we haven’t
even scratched onto much on the bench and a lot of people that we
can go to. It has made us a more competitive team.”
Game 4:
ASU 34, NC State 32
The Mountaineers look to add to their winning
streak this weekend in Memphis, Tenn., and open up the conference
at home Sept. 12 against Chattanooga.
“We are real excited about the 5-0 start,
but this is just the beginning. This is all in preparation for the
most important stuff, the conference play,” said Redding. “We
are gunning for the Southern Conference Tournament finals and the
championship.” |
|
 |
For an up tp date sports calendar below!
|
|
 |
 |
