BROCKPORT, N.Y. – The Frostburg State volleyball team opened the Golden Eagle Invitational at The College of Brockport, Friday night, with a win over Thiel and a loss to host Brockport.
The Bobcats settle at 4-3 overall on the season following a 3-1 defeat of Thiel and a 3-1 loss to the Golden Eagles.
Game One
The Bobcats rallied from an early 1-0 deficit following game one with three strong efforts in the second, third and fourth sets. After dropping the first set 25-18, FSU picked up the win behind scores of 25-20, 25-17 and 25-17.
Thiel took game one behind a late 6-1 run to lead by as many as 10, 22-12. The Tomcats also hit .175 in the first set, their highest hitting percentage of the match.
The second set featured five ties, including a 19-19 gridlock late in the set. The Bobcats scored two quick points for a 21-19 edge forcing a timeout from Thiel. Following the stoppage, Thiel's Jessica Kelley smacked a kill to pull it to within 21-20.
However, the Bobcats scored the final four points of the set for a 25-20 win. Junior Biamba Tshitenge smacked two kills in the 4-0 swing that sealed the win.
FSU hit .257 in the third set and never trailed. Back-to-back kills from Tshitenge and a service ace from junior Hannah Brown gave the Bobcats an 8-3 cushion. Frostburg later added another 4-0 run to grab a 14-6 advantage and sealed the win with a 3-0 spurt late in the set.
In the fourth game, Frostburg rallied from several four-point deficits early in the match to knot things at 11-11 behind a 5-1 run. The Tomcats attempted to pull away again, but the Bobcats closed out the fourth set with a 14-2 run.
Tshitenge registered a career-high 18 kills and hit .350 in the four sets. Junior setter Katie Onyundo set a career-high in assists for the second-consecutive match as she passed out 43 against Thiel.
Five different Bobcats registered at least 10 digs as junior Cori Smothers collected a season-high 22 digs.
Game Two
Frostburg took game one 25-23, but watched as the Golden Eagles rallied with three-straight wins. Brockport took the match by scores of 25-21, 25-19, 25-18.
In the first set, Frostburg used a late 3-0 run to rally from a 17-16 deficit. Junior Ashante Corey-Bey and first-year Haley Altemus gave the Bobcats a late lead and Altemus smacked a kill to close the set and hand FSU a 25-23 victory.
In the second game, the Golden Eagles posted a 6-0 scoring run in the middle of the set for a 17-11 edge. Frostburg pulled to within one at both 21-20 and 22-21 before the hosts scored the final three points for the win. First-year Alyssa Barkdoll smacked her first kill of the second set to pull Frostburg to 22-21.
Brockport scored six-straight points early in game three for a 6-2 advantage. Frostburg posted a quick rally and pulled to within one, 9-8 on a kill from junior Bailey Godlove. The hosts answered with a quick scoring outburst of their own to increase their lead to 14-9 and later 18-12. Cassie Birth smacked a kill to close game three with a 25-19 win.
The Golden Eagles captured the match with a 25-18 win in the fourth and final set. Brockport posted a 5-0 run in the middle of the game for a 15-8 cushion and later extended their lead to 23-13. Godlove registered a kill late in the set and Brown posted another service ace before the Golden Eagles closed out the match.
Tshitenge continued her impressive evening with 13 kills in the second match and a .323 hitting percentage. Onyundo distributed 31 assists, while Smothers added a career-best 28 digs. Altemus contributed a double-double with 11 kills and 21 digs.
The Bobcats return for the second day of the invitational tomorrow when they face Baldwin Wallace at 1:00 pm and SUNY Potsdam at 3:00 pm.
