BOONE, N.C. – Denny McCall collected 15 kills, 15 digs and four blocks to lead Appalachian State to a second-consecutive 3-2 Sun Belt volleyball win over Georgia Sothern Saturday afternoon in the Holmes Center.

Eagles of the Match
Emily Jarome finished with 19 kills, 11 digs and six blocks, and Chamblee Russell collected 15 kills and three blocks off the bench. Baylor Bumford posted 14 kills and five blocks, and Ashlyn Lovett tallied a match-high 22 digs. Kirsten Barrett made her first career start at setter and posted 53 assists and 13 digs.

Key Moments
With the score tied 8-8 in the fifth, Appalachian State (16-9, 9-5) scored three straight points and five of the next six, and McCall capped the spurt with a kill that gave the Mountaineers a 13-9 cushion. Bumford put down a kill and combined with Jarome for a block to cut the margin to two, but a service error ended the run for the Eagles (14-10, 6-6). Sarah Missroon finished the match with a solo block.

With the match tied 1-1, App fought off one set point in the third with a kill by McCall. With the score tied 25-25, Lulu Ambrose put down a kill, and Alyssa McBean polished off the set with an ace. 

App rallied from a 22-17 deficit in the fourth set, and an ace by Maya Winterhoff tied the score 23-23. Bumford and Robin Rosser put down kills to set up two set points for the Eagles, but the Mountaineers fought off both of them. A Mountaineer service error gave GS a third set point, and App was whistled for a ball-handling error as the Eagles won the frame 27-25, sending the match to five.

Key Stats
Appalachian State hit .253 in the match, and forced the Eagles into 30 hitting errors. 

Quotables from Coach Chad Willis
"It was another back and forth battle today. I'm really proud of the effort and fight we showed coming off last night's result—we just struggled to execute in some key moments. Tough results, and no one is satisfied but we'll find the teachable moments to help prepare us with one week left and the conference tournament right in front of us."

Next up
The Eagles close the regular season by hosting Troy next weekend in Hanner Fieldhouse. Friday's match starts at 6 p.m., and Saturday's Senior Day contest begins at 1 p.m. Both contests will be broadcast on ESPN+.