Frostburg State University Athletics

PORTSMOUTH, Ohio – The Frostburg State Volleyball team picked up their second consecutive victory with a 3-1 road decision over Shawnee State on Friday night.
 
SSU began the match the quicker of the sides, taking advantage of three Bobcat errors to go up 5-2. Senior Grace Yocham had a pair of kills either side of freshman Rhea Shetty's ace hoping to calm FSU down, however the Bears responded with four in a row to go up 10-5. Some Shawnee errors helped Frostburg back into the set, as senior Maya Johnson earned a kill while freshman Miranda Ball had an ace to pull back within 11-10. Following back-to-back SSU points, the Bobcats were able to get their first real control in the opening frame, as sophomore Alliyah McNair and Yocham found the floor on three straight attacks, then Johnson, sophomore Adele Evans, and senior Raegan Philips each added scores in taking a 17-15 lead. The Bears went back ahead on three points in a row but FSU hit back, as Philips had a pair of kills, Yocham notched an ace, and freshman Judy Steffens joined in with a spike and combo block with Evans to go ahead 22-19. With Shawnee taking two of the next three hoping to make a late rally, McNair powered one down while Johnson closed things out at the service line for a 25-21 set victory.
 
Set two began the opposite of the first, with Frostburg able to capitalize on some SSU errors to take an early 4-1 score. The Bears looked to claw their way back but FSU continued to get some offense going through Yocham, McNair, Philips, and another Shetty ace in maintaining a 9-5 advantage. Shawnee was able to cut the deficit down to one on a three-point rally but the resulting points would be all Bobcats, going on an 11-2 run in response to surge ahead 20-11. Steffens kicked things off on a kill, with Ball and Johnson putting down a pair of aces, while McNair and Evans put up a combined block and a kill apiece during the run. Yocham then joined Philips in a block before adding a score in pushing the lead to double digits, however SSU looked for a stunning turnaround, scoring seven of the next eight in suddenly pulling within 23-19. Yocham, Johnson, and Evans were each able to net late scores to thwart the comeback and put Frostburg ahead 2-0 in the match with a 25-20 set win.
 
Looking to avoid a sweep, the Bears took another early lead in the third frame, netting four of the first five before Yocham responded with kills either side of a Philips-McNair block. The sides then traded rallies for a one-point Bobcat lead before Shawnee hit five of the next seven to go up 12-9. Johnson put down a pair of spikes in hopes of getting FSU back into the set however SSU answered with a 4-1 run to take a 19-13 lead. Philips then kicked off a Frostburg rally, with Yocham putting on a trio of kills and Shetty netting two aces in storming back into a 20-19 score. The momentum all but halted with four unanswered going to the Bears, as despite Johnson's pair of late scores, the hosts were able to earn a set-ending block to keep the match going at 25-22.
 
Hoping to keep their momentum going and take the match into a fifth set, Shawnee netted six of the first eight points of the fourth. The Bobcats were able to find their offense, with McNair and Yocham going for three combined kills, while Evans tacked on an ace in turning things around to an 8-7 score. Frostburg was able to take advantage of some SSU miscues from the service line as the sides went point-for-point, as Yocham and Johnson each found the floor while Shetty fooled the defense on a skip-set for a 14-12 lead. FSU looked to pull away as Evans hit back-to-back aces after a McNair kill but the Bears were there to respond in staying within two points. Steffens and Johnson again tried to get things going on a trio of kills between the pair, pushing the advantage out to four before Shawnee hit four of five in getting within 22-21. Wanting to get back home without a fifth set, McNair took over late for Frostburg, putting down the team's final three kills in coming away with the 25-22 set win and 3-1 match score.
 
Yocham secured her second consecutive double-double on a match-high 14 kills and a career-high 17 digs while also adding three blocks. McNair (13) and Johnson (12) joined her in double-figure scoring, while Ball (16) and junior Emery Kuebler (14) each aided in the defensive effort on digs. Johnson and Shetty each netted four aces, the same amount as Evans had blocks.
 
With the win, FSU improves to 8-14 on the year while SSU drops to 7-17. Frostburg will return home on Monday, October 26 to face Wheeling at 7 p.m. Information and updates will be posted to frostburgsports.com.