INDIANA, Pa. – The Frostburg State Volleyball team ended their weekend at the Crimson Hawk Classic with a win over Shepherd and a loss to hosts Indiana (Pa.).
 
The first set against Shepherd began all Bobcats, as senior Beverly Braun had a pair of kills and an ace to put FSU ahead 5-1. Sophomore Amanda Knieper and Braun both found the floor twice as the Frostburg lead grew all the way to 14-7, looking to make quick work of the set. With FSU up 16-11 after a point by freshman Paige Mock, junior AJ Thompson took over the offense, knocking down three kills and earning a solo block that put the score at 19-14. SU began to slowly work their way back into the frame, using a four-point run to suddenly bring them within 22-21. In the end, FSU was finally able to put the set away after a Braun kill and a winning block by Mock and freshman Brenna Siperko to win 25-22.
 
Set two began similarly to the first, as Braun, Knieper, Thompson, and Mock all put away kills up to a 10-4 lead, which was punctuated by a Thompson ace. After Mock's solo block to make the score 14-9, Shepherd won the next three points to get within two, but Frostburg quickly responded with a 5-2 run to go up 19-14, helped in part by a trio of Ram service errors. Mock added a pair of kills, then Braun, Knieper, and Thompson gave the Bobcats the set win 25-20.
 
FSU continued their early-set success as they looked for the match sweep in the third frame, with Mock, Knieper, and Thompson earning kills that preceded a pair of aces up to an 8-4 lead. Braun put down back-to-back scores, then a service error put Frostburg ahead 13-8, but Shepherd found some moxie, using an 8-2 run to take the lead 16-15. A few Ram errors shifted the score back in FSU's favor at 18-17, but SU quickly took the next four points to go up 21-18. Thompson, Braun, and Kniper fought back to tie the set at 21, then Shepherd looked to force a fourth set with back-to-back points at 23-21. Braun took over the last part of the match, smacking down four straight kills to complete the match sweep and lead the Bobcats to a 25-23 set win.
 
Braun led all players on 18 kills with a season-high .469 hitting percentage, while Mock, Thompson, and Knieper combined for 22 kills between the three. Mock also helped lead the defensive effort with a match-high five blocks, as senior Hayley Delor and junior Fiona Gonzalez Medina each had 11 digs.
 
Frostburg's second match against hosts IUP did not start off quite as well, with the Crimson Hawks taking an early 10-4 lead looking to finish their weekend undefeated. Thompson and Knieper combined on a block, followed by a couple Braun kills and an ace from Delor to get FSU within 12-10. IUP came right back and shot out to an 11-2 run that gave them a stunning 23-12 lead looking to make quick work of the Bobcats. Frostburg wouldn't go down without a fight, however, as Thompson, Siperko, and freshman Maya Johnson all put down kills to bring the score all the way back to 23-19. The Hawks' lead was too much to overcome, however, with two of the last three points giving the hosts a 25-20 set win.
 
IUP rode their momentum into the second set, going up 9-3 in the early stages. Delor got a kill and Knieper served up an ace to get to 10-6, but FSU never got closer than five the rest of the set. The Hawks' offense was overpowering, surging up to a 21-10 lead on an 11-4 run that was finally ended by a Knieper kill. Down by 11 late, Braun got a kill and Delor got back-to-back aces, but IUP came away with the set 25-16 in search of a sweep.
 
The Bobcats were able to keep things close at the start of set three, with Knieper, Thompson, Siperko, and sophomore Gabriella Jones knocking down kills, though IUP held a narrow 7-5 lead. Once again, the Hawks showed off their quality, going on a 12-2 run that all but spelled the end of the match at 19-7. Braun had an ace and junior Tauja Durham put away three kills and an ace of her own, but the hosts were able to win the set comfortably 25-14 for the match sweep.
 
With the split, Frostburg moves to 7-6 on the year, as they will return to action on Friday, September 22 for their MEC opener on the road against Concord at 7 p.m. Information and updates will be posted to frostburgsports.com.