A volleyball shootout in North Carolina turned into a three set loss for the Warhawks as they fell to Appalachian State. The Warhawks made the Appalachian State Mountaineers work for the win in North Carolina as both teams battled hard for the set.
The first set had 19 ties between the two teams as they went back and forth for the set. There were seven lead changes in the intense first set, but the Mountaineers pulled ahead with two consecutive scores to end the set.
Head Coach Patrick Hiltz said the Warhawks didn’t have the right attitude in the first set, which is what caused the loss.
“We gave away the first set by playing scared and tentative volleyball at the end of the set,” coach Hiltz said.
Despite the loss in the first set, the Warhawks recorded a high kill set with 19 kills. The Warhawks also recorded their highest hitting percentage in the first set with almost 33 percent hits made.
The second set started on a high note for the Warhawks as they pulled ahead with an 8-3 lead. Unfortunately the Mountaineers made up for lost ground by scoring five unanswered points to tie the Warhawks. The Mountaineers would take the reigns as pull away to win the set.
Coach Hiltz said the Mountaineers saw the opportunity to win and took it. “They smelled blood in the water, and they went on the attack,” Hiltz said. “I respect them for that and wish our team could find that.”
The Mountaineers overpowered the Warhawks in the third set as well with a 7-2 run to take the third set.
Despite the sweep, Kalena Carutbers had the most kills with 10 followed closely by Kaitlyn Shearer with eight kills. On defense, Albany Schaffer recorded a career-high 19 digs on the night.
Coach Hiltz looked past the stats and talked about the attitude needed to win. “Players have to realize that they are expected to perform at their best every day,” coach Hiltz said. “We had players tonight that did half their job well and thought it would be enough.”
The Warhawks stay on the East Coast in a match against Coastal Carolina on Sunday.
