FROSTBURG, Md. – The Frostburg State Volleyball team earned a home sweep against Shippensburg in Bobcat Arena on Tuesday night, breaking a three-match losing streak.
 
FSU started out of the gate by winning five of the first seven points, thanks to kills from junior AJ Thompson and Beverly Braun and a combined block between seniors Hayley Delor and McKaily Thomson-Moran. SU fought back by winning the next four in a row, as the game became a tense back-and-forth battle. Neither side led by more than two up to a narrow 19-18 Raiders lead, as Thompson, Braun, and freshman Maddie Lewis carried the offense with all nine of Frostburg's kills. Junior Phoebe Lingold knocked down a kill that both tied the set and sparked a 5-1 Bobcat run to go up 23-20, where she was followed by scores from Braun, Thompson, and Delor. Shippensburg got back-to-back points to get within one, but a Thomson-Moran-Braun block and Lewis kill ended the set 25-22 in favor of Frostburg.
 
The second set would quickly become another tense affair, as neither team could hold a lead more than two up to a 13-13 tie. FSU's defense helped lead the way early on, as Delor combined with both Thomson-Moran and Thompson on a pair of blocks, while Braun found the floor twice in a row during the rally. The Bobcats took full control of the set midway through, as SU only had two points the rest of the way after a relentless Frostburg attack. Lewis was a force both offensively and defensively, knocking down four kills to go with a solo block and a combined stuff with Thompson. Junior Tauja Durham got in on the action with her first kill of the match, as Braun added an ace and capped the set off with a kill to win convincingly 25-15.
 
Determined to keep the match alive, Shippensburg quickly shook off a 3-1 deficit to begin the third set by winning 10 of the next 11 points to go up 11-4. Freshman Maya Johnson provided a spark off the bench, knocking down back-to-back kills, followed by another Lewis score to get back within 11-8. SU continued to power on, earning the next three points, to which FSU responded with three of their own. The Raiders would not let the Bobcat rally deter them, scoring four of the next five points to take a commanding 18-12 lead, looking to force a fourth set.
 
 Thompson struck a kill to help set off a stunning FSU run, as Braun had a kill either side of back-to-back Shippensburg errors to suddenly pull within 18-16. Despite a block by SU, Frostburg continued to press on, as Thomson-Moran and Lewis each smacked the ball down either side of an ace from Delor to tie the set 19-19. As the Raiders scored the next point, Braun put the team on her back with a kill and three straight aces, with Johnson capping off a five-point run to make it match point at 24-20. Fighting to keep their hopes alive, SU took the next three points to get back within one, but Thomson-Moran called game with a kill off Delor's assist to end the match 25-23 for the sweep.
 
Lewis was a force on the day, coming one shy of her career-high with 12 kills while hitting .346 for the match. She was joined in double figures by Braun (11) and Thompson (10), with the latter hitting an astonishing .714 to go with a match-high four blocks. Delor and junior Fiona Gonzalez Medina were outstanding defensively, putting up a combined 39 digs, as the latter had 20 to the former's 19, both the most in the match.
 
With the win, Frostburg improves to 10-12, while Shippensburg falls to 15-7. FSU returns to the court on the road Friday, October 20 to face West Virginia Wesleyan at 7 p.m. Information and updates will be posted to frostburgsports.com.