NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – The Frostburg State volleyball team fell to fourth-ranked Christopher Newport, 3-0, and defeated Washington & Lee, 3-1, Saturday afternoon.
Against CNU, sophomore Madelyn Torres tied her career-high with seven service aces. The last time she had as many was in October, 2014 against Penn State Harrisburg. Classmate Naya Cheatem led both teams with 14 kills, while fellow sophomore Lindsey Scepura added 13 digs.
The Bobcats (11-12, 0-3 Capital Athletic Conference) held an early 6-3 advantage before the Captains (17-2, 3--0 CAC) rallied back with a 7-1 run to lead 11-8. Another 6-2 run jumped the hosts ahead to a 16-10 lead, but Frostburg showed resiliency and scored five of the next six points to come within two, 17-15. The Bobcats and Captains exchanged the next six points, keeping the visitors within two, but CNU capitalized on the final five points to take the first set, 25-18.
The second set showed why Christopher Newport is nationally ranked as they never allowed the Bobcats to score three-straight points en route to a 25-15 win.
Game three was more evenly matched, despite the hosts taking an early 12-7 lead. Frostburg answered back with six-consecutive points to earn a 13-12 advantage, but both teams exchanged points and the game deadlocked at 22-22 before the Captains held off the Bobcats, 25-23 for the final victory.
In the night cap against Washington & Lee (10-8), the Bobcats showed just how tough they are, and won the first set by three points and the final two games by two points each to rebound from the previous match.
Senior Aimee Petrides tied for a game-high 19 kills, while Cheatem added 18 kills and four blocks. Torres contributed 42 assists and Scepura added 23 digs. The final three sets saw the Bobcats hit a fantastic .300, .250, and .244, respectively.
Neither team scored more than two-straight points in the opening set and the Generals held a slim 22-21 lead before the Bobcats clawed their way back with four consecutive points to take the game, 25-22.
Game two saw more scoring streaks as Frostburg used an 8-3 run to take a 16-13 lead. The Generals then used their own 8-1 rally to take a 21-17 lead that they'd never give up, despite the 'Cats tying the game at 21-21, 22-22, and 23-23, en route to a 25-23 win to knot the match at 1-1.
The third set was much like the first, with both teams exchanging the lead and neither team taking greater than a four-point lead during the match. With Frostburg up 21-18, W&L used a six-point rally to take a 23-21 advantage. FSU was having none of that as they capitalized on the final four points of the match to come away with a 25-23 win.
Perseverance was the name of the game as FSU, down 3-0 early in the final set, used a 5-1 run to come back and grab a 5-4 advantage. The set saw nine other ties between the teams throughout the set, including at 23-23, before Frostburg put the game away with two kills from Petrides sandwiched around a kill from Cheatem. FSU claimed the final 25-23 victory and a 3-1 match win.
The Bobcats return to action Wednesday, October 14 when they play host to Southern Virginia for a CAC matchup at 5:00 pm.
