ROCHESTER, N.Y. – The Frostburg State volleyball team concluded the first day of the UR Volleyball Invitational with a split against Rochetser and Houghton.
Senior Naya Cheatem had a combined 23 kills and senior Madelyn Torres had a combined 38 assists. Frostburg caps day one of the tournament with a 4-2 overall record on the young season.
Torres, a Vienna, Va. native, surpassed the 3000 assist milestone in the Bobcats second match of the night. As a team, the Bobcats enter tomorrow as the overall tournament leader in service aces (16).
Match One: Rochester
Frostburg dropped the first match of the night to tournament-host Rochester 3-0. The Bobcats fell 25-13, 25-19, 25-18.
Cheatem led the way with eight kills while freshman Gianna Carmona and sophomore Biamba Tshitenge had five each. Cheatem and Carmona were forces on the offensive end throughout the match, posting 22 and 25 total attacks, respectively.
Torres and sophomore Katie Onyundo paced the Bobcats with 11 assists each and senior Lindsey Scepura had 13 digs.
Frostburg took a 3-1 lead in the second set, but the hosts responded with six-straight points. Trailing 18-13, Frostburg looked to rally with three-straight points, including kills from Tshitenge and Carmona.
Match Two: Houghton
Frostburg outlasted Houghton for a 3-2 victory in a thrilling five-set match (23-25, 25-19, 23-25, 25-21, 20-18). The Bobcats and Highlanders traded sets, with Frostburg ultimately wining the final set in dramatic fashion.
The Bobcats held the edge in nearly every final statistical category, outscoring the Highlanders 78-66 and holding a 9-4 edge in blocks.
Cheatem smacked 15 kills and sophomore Cori Smothers had three service aces.
After jumping out to an early lead, the Bobcats used a late scoring run to take the second set. Senior Zoe Harris capped the match with a kill to give the Bobcats a 25-19 victory to tie the match at one.
Houghton took the third set, but Frostburg responded in the fourth with a 6-0 run to take a 20-12 lead. Frostburg scored the final three points of the set on a pair of Cheatem kills and an attack error by the Highlanders.
Frostburg gained traction in the final set by scoring the last three points of the evening. Tshitenge notched back-to-back kills to give the Bobcats a 19-18 lead and Torres sealed the victory with a kill for the 20-18 win.
Up Next
Frostburg wraps up the UR Volleyball Invitational Tournament tomorrow with two matches. The Bobcats will open the day against Wells at noon, followed by a 2:00 p.m. match with Utica.
Click here more information on the UR Tournament, including box scores from all games, statistical leaders, live links and more.
For up-to-date game information, including live stats and video streaming, visit frostburgsports.com.
TOURNAMENT STANDINGS (Overall Record)
1. Rochester 2-0 (5-1)
1. Pitt-Bradford 2-0 (4-3)
3. Frostburg State 1-1 (4-2)
3. Houghton 1-1 (5-2)
5. SUNY Poly 0-0 (0-4)
6. Hamilton 0-1 (0-1)
6. Utica 0-1 (1-5)
8. Wells 0-2 (3-3)
