Mountaineers down Samford Bulldogs in five-set thriller – Volleyball News
Appalachian State volleyball team posted a 3-2 (12-25, 25-21, 25-23, 18-25, 15-12) victory over Samford Bulldogs in a nail-biting competition on Sunday, Novemebr 13, at the Hanna Centre in Birmingham, Alabama. It was the last home match for Samford volleyball
squad, which they failed to win. Mountaineers, on the other hand, were simply amazing in every move on the net. Despite the loss of the opening set by a big margin, they proved their skill in the following sets and snatched victory from their resilient rivals.
Appalachian State closed off the regular season with a 20-10 record, while it was the fourth defeat for Bulldogs in the entire season (26-4).
Senior outside hitter Kelly Rhein of Appalachian State emerged as the real queen of the match. She notched her career-high 25 kills and added 14 digs, which played a substantial role in her team’s victory. Likewise, Kasey Sauls supported the Mountaineers
with 51 assists, her highest total of the season, to go along with 12 digs in the match. Courtney Rhein led all players with 27 digs in the contest.
Michaela Reesor was the most highlighted player on of Samford side. She achieved her career-best 18 kills with hitting percentage of.517, her best percentage in conference play in 2011. Furthermore, 16 digs in the match were also credited to her. Overall,
she earned her third double-double of the season.
The opening set was the Bulldogs' best after they put 25-12 on the board for a win. It seemed as if they were going to whitewash the Mountaineers in straight sets. They came from all angles and stormed Mountaineers’ half with ground-breaking shots. First
set ended in home team’s favour at 25-12.
The Appalachian State hit back strongly in the following set and quickly grabbed 3-point lead, 3-0. Bulldogs rallied hard but trailed behind. The Mountaineers remained remarkably consistent and levelled the game score at 1-1 by winning second set, 25-21.
Third set was closely contested from start till end. Both sides displayed aggressiveness in attack and tried to take the lead. However, Mountaineers proved to be better and captured the set, 25-23.
After such a great start in the match, the Bulldogs refused to lose the lead so easily. They fought back and managed to create the dead-lock of 2-2 in fourth set. The game entered fifth set, while both teams had equal chance to win. Visiting team got lucky
in the final set and defeated the Bulldogs on their home soil with 15-12. Final victory graced Mountaineers for their exceptional effort in the match.
"That was a great match today, both teams played very well. We managed to make them very one-dimensional at the pins but we just couldn't quite make the plays when we knew what they were going to do.” said Samford Head Coach Derek Schroeder.
He further disclosed his thoughts on the upcoming matches in the week. He added: "It gives us something to improve upon this week and a touch of a competitive edge going into next weekend."
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