Mountaineers Launch 2024 Campaign at Bobcat Invitational - App State Athletics (2024)

Ella Graham

Volleyball 8/29/2024 2:32:00 PM

BOONE, N.C. - The App State volleyball team is set to launch the 2024 season in Athens, Ohio, at the Bobcat Invitational, hosted by Ohio University. The Mountaineers will clash with Xavier and Wright State on Friday before meeting tournament host, Ohio, on Saturday. All matches at the Bobcat Invitational will be available to stream on ESPN+.

2023 Season Review
The Mountaineers went 14-15 (4-12 SBC) last fall and opened the 2023 campaign with nine consecutive victories. In the Holmes Convocation Center, App State went 10-4, defending its home court in both home tournaments in addition to four conference clashes. As the No. 6 seed in the Sun Belt Tournament, the Mountaineers swept No. 7 seeded ULM before falling to No. 3 seed Troy in the second round.

Roster Rundown
Ten Mountaineers return from the 2023 squad, led by two-time Second-Team All-SBC and Preseason All-SBC selection Maya Winterhoff. Winterhoff led the league in hitting percentage (.383) and ranked third in the league for total blocks (130) after starting all 29 matches and appearing in all 109 sets last fall. Seniors Lulu Ambrose and Lauren Pledger, as well as junior Kenady Roper will also return this year. Ambrose was second on the team last fall for kills (276), while Pledger was second on the team for total blocks (84). Roper led the Mountaineers in the digs category with 352 on the season.

Redshirt junior Addison Heidemann, as well as freshmen Julianna Horta, Bella Hutchens, Elise Marchal, and Maddie Smith join the Black and Gold's ranks for the 2024 campaign.

Scouting the Tournament Field
App State vs. Xavier | Friday | 10:30 a.m. | ESPN+
The Mountaineers and Musketeers start the season and tournament play at 10:30 a.m. on Friday. App State and Xavier have met twice in program history, having last met on Sept. 5, 2003. Xavier holds a 2-0 lead in the series.

Last year, Xavier went 18-12 (11-7 Big East) and tallied eight sweeps on the season. In the first round of the Big East Tournament, the No. 4 seeded Musketeers fell in four sets to No. 5 seed DePaul. Eleven Musketeers return from the 2023 squad. Emma Grace, who led the team in aces (30) and was second on the team in the kills category (257) and Logan Flaugh, who had the second-most assists on the team (170), will make their return this fall.

App State vs. Wright State | Friday | 4:30 p.m. | ESPN+
Wright State will open its season against the Mountaineers in the 4:30 p.m. match on Friday. The Mountaineers and Raiders have met twice in the 21st century, meeting on Sept. 8, 2001 and Sept. 8 2018, splitting the pair of matches.

The Raiders went 21-11 (15-3 Horizon League) last fall. No. 1 seeded Wright State swept No. 6 seed Cleveland State and No. 2 seed Green Bay in the Horizon League Championship to make its fourth NCAA Tournament appearance in five seasons. In the NCAA Tournament, Wright State fell short to Louisville in four sets. Wright State is favored to repeat its Horizon League success after earning 99 points and nine first-place votes in this season's Horizon League Preseason Coaches Poll. Nine Raiders return from the 2023 squad, including Jenny Wessling, who led the team in the digs category with 626, and Jenny Morey, who served up a team-high 40 aces on the year.

App State at Ohio | Saturday | 1 p.m. | ESPN+
Ohio will open play at the Bobcat invitational at 6:30 p.m. on Friday against Xavier before taking on App State at 1 p.m. on Saturday. Ohio leads the series against App State, 1-0, after the programs' first encounter on Sept. 3, 2016.

During the 2023 campaign, the Bobcats went 18-13 (13-5 MAC), tallied nine sweeps and won five consecutive matches from Nov. 3 to Nov. 15. The No. 4 seed Ohio fell to No. 5 seed Toledo in four sets in the quarterfinals of the MAC Championship. Eleven Bobcats from the 2023 squad will make their returns for the 2024 season, including 2024 Preseason All-MAC selection Anna Kharchynska, who led the team in the blocks category (94) and was second on the team in the kills category (340) last fall.

Looking Ahead
The Mountaineers will return to Boone to host ETSU, Kennesaw State and Gardner-Webb for the Mountaineer Classic on Sept. 6 and 7. App State will then host Clemson, Winthrop and Wofford for the Black & Gold Invitational on Sept. 12-14. All matches for both App State tournaments will be available to stream on ESPN+.