Frostburg State University Athletics

FAIRMONT, W. Va. – The Frostburg State Volleyball team dropped their road match to Fairmont State in a three-set sweep on Tuesday night.
 
The Fighting Falcons came out a team inspired, scoring the first seven points of the match before Frostburg was finally saved by a service error. Frostburg found some offense through senior Beverly Braun, who knocked down a pair of kills and served up an ace, while junior AJ Thompson and seniors McKaily Thomson-Moran and Hayley Delor all recorded blocks to get within 10-6. Fairmont kicked into another gear from that point, outscoring the Bobcats 15-6 the rest of the way to a commanding 25-12 set win.
 
As they did in the first set, the Falcons came into the second on fire, racing out to an 11-3 lead looking to put the set away quickly. Freshman Maya Johnson was able to provide a spark, earning a kill and combining with sophomore Gabriella Jones on a pair of blocks to pull within 13-8. Fairmont continued to stay relentless in attack, using a 7-2 run to go ahead 20-12. Braun and Delor combined for three kills, followed by another three straight scores by Johnson, freshman Paige Mock, and senior Jenna Gossard to get back to 23-18. Back-to-back Falcon points put away any hope of a Frostburg comeback as the hosts took a 2-0 match lead.
 
Set three became a back-and-forth affair, as Fairmont looked to put the match away while the Bobcats attempted to keep their hopes alive. The sides traded points up to 7-7, with neither team leading by more than two until five straight Falcon points gave them a 12-7 advantage. Johnson answered with a pair of kills either side of a Delor score, then combined on a block with Thomson-Moran to precede two Braun kills and a score by senior Katie Keech to pull all the way back to 15-14. Farimont made one last run to effectively put the match away, scoring four in a row and six of seven points to go up 22-16. Mock and Thomson-Moran each had a kill late on, while Gossard scored the Bobcats' final point on an ace before the Falcons took the set 25-19 for the match sweep.
 
Braun had a team-high 11 kills, while Johnson recorded a career-high six on the night and added a team-high three blocks, also a new personal best. Junior Fiona Gonzalez Medina (15), Gossard (11), and Delor (10) all recorded double-digit digs in the effort.
 
With the loss, Frostburg falls to 9-10 on the year, while Fairmont improves to 10-10. The Bobcats return home on Friday, October 13 to face Charleston (WV) at 7 p.m. Information and updates will be posted to frostburgsports.com.