WEST LIBERTY, W. Va. – The Frostburg State volleyball team went on the road to face West Liberty on Friday night, narrowly falling in five sets.
Early on the teams traded back-and-forth, with senior Maya Johnson and sophomore Alliyah McNair getting kills to a 3-3 tie before a 7-2 Hilltopper run put them up by five. FSU responded with freshman Kayla Greene earning a kill and classmate Rhea Shetty serving an ace, however five of the next six went to WLU as they went up 15-9. Shetty then assisted Johnson for a kill, then sophomore Adele Evans got in on the action by finding the floor twice and getting a solo block to pull within 18-15. Momentum began to swing when McNair put down kills either side of senior Grace Yocham adding one on, as the former went on a service run that gave Frostburg the nine of the final eleven points of the set, netting aces and a pair of kills through the stretch for a 25-21 final.
Looking to continue that momentum into the second, FSU went up 3-0 early through a Shetty ace and back-to-back McNair kills before West Liberty tied things at 6-6. Yocham looked to keep the Bobcats ahead through a block and a kill but the Hilltoppers went on a 5-1 run to lead by two. As the sides traded scores, McNair, Greene, Johnson, and senior Raegan Philips all joined in on the action though WLU still led 14-12. Frostburg looked to use another scoring run to take command of the set, as McNair kicked things off with a spike, while junior Emery Kuebler followed with an ace and Evans stuffed an attack before Johnson found the floor in turning the lead around to 17-15. Reversing their fortunes from the opening set, West Liberty was able to notch two- and three-point rallies down the stretch, eventually winning 25-21 to even the match.
With momentum in hand, the Hilltoppers shot out to a 6-1 lead to start the third. Despite the early setback, the Bobcats prodded at the deficit, as Johnson tallied two kills while Evans added one plus a block, as freshman Miranda Ball tacked on an ace to pull within one at 10-9. WLU had no interest in letting FSU hang around, netting four in a row as part of a 6-1 run that put them up 16-10. McNair and Philips went for back-to-back scores in hopes of getting close, however West Liberty proved to have too much late on in winning 25-18.
Continuing to roll, it appeared as if the Hilltoppers would be able to finish things off in the fourth set, racing ahead 7-3. Yocham helped cool things down with a kill, while Kuebler pulled out a surprise attack to score another, then sophomore Kylie Appleton's ace got the score back within two. Back-to-back kills from McNair were followed by Johnson finding the floor and suddenly tying things up at 12-12. Despite the fight back, WLU responded with four of the next five to regain a three-point lead. Still determined to keep the match alive, freshman Gabrielle Morris hit kills either side of Johnson, then senior Alyssa Stanton got hot at the service line, picking up three aces on a six-point run to shock the home crowd and put Frostburg up 22-17. With West Liberty hoping to get back in the set and cap off a comeback win, Phillips had other ideas, hitting the final two Bobcat points to take the set 25-22 and force a deciding fifth.
Yocham began the final frame with an opening kill, as a pair of errors gave Frostburg an early 3-2 lead. The Hilltoppers then had a pair of two-point rallies, with FSU's offense coming through Johnson and McNair to make the score 8-6. From that point it would be all WLU, with the hosts going on a seven-point run that gave them the set 15-6 and match victory.
McNair led all scorers with 18 kills while notching a double-double with 13 digs, as Johnson tacked on 11 kills. Shetty set a career-high with 25 assists while Kuebler added 17, as Ball stood out defensively with a collegiate-best 27 digs.
With the loss, Frostburg is now 5-10 on the year while West Liberty improves to 5-14. The Bobcats will next host Fairmont State on Tuesday, October 6 at 7 p.m. For more information, please visit frostburgsports.com.
