Frostburg State University Athletics

ELKINS, W. Va. – The Frostburg State Volleyball team picked up an important road MEC victory over Davis & Elkins on Friday evening in a 3-0 sweep.
 
Both sides had troubles with serving early on, combining for three errors before the Senators put down a pair of kills for a 5-2 lead. FSU responded quickly, as sophomore Adele Evans, freshman Temerah Holloway, and senior Grace Yocham went for three kills in a row to leap ahead 6-5. After D&E took the next two, the Bobcats began to find their groove, led by Holloway finding the floor three times in the next four scores, with senior Maya Johnson chipping in and Philips putting up a block to go up 12-9. Davis & Elkins netted two in a row before Frostburg took full control, scoring eight unanswered to take a 20-11 advantage. Philips helped kick things off with a solo block before joining freshman Judy Steffens on another, with the latter also adding a kill before sophomore Kylie Appleton capped the run with an ace. Just needing to avoid a large Senator run, Yocham helped FSU take the steps needed for the set win, finding the floor and adding an ace, with Evans adding a pair of kills to eventually come out ahead 25-17.
 
On the ascendancy, Frostburg came out fast in the second frame, as Johnson put up a block followed by a combined one between Steffens and freshman Gabrielle Morris, as Yocham added a kill while freshman Rhea Shetty tacked on a point at the service line for a 6-2 advantage. D&E fought back with three in a row, making it a back-and-forth affair and eventually pulling back within 9-8. As they had done in the first set, the Bobcats surged ahead on an 11-3 run and ended up with the exact same lead from the opening frame at 20-11. Evans and Morris started out with back-to-back kills to go with a solo block apiece, then the latter and Johnson scored either side of a Shetty ace, with Yocham and Steffens joining in with a pair of scores. Looking to avoid the same fate, Davis & Elkins responded quicker this time, scoring five in a row to pull back within four. The teams then traded two-point runs, as after a Senator error, Appleton called game with back-to-back aces to close the set out at 25-18.
 
Hoping to close out the sweep, FSU put up the first two points of the third, including a Johnson spike, as an Evans block and Yocham kill put them ahead 5-3. Desperate to keep the match going, D&E put down seven of the next nine, turning their momentum into a 10-7 lead. The Bobcats responded with a run of their own, netting five in a row as Holloway sent an attack back, Yocham found the floor, and Shetty added an ace in going up 12-10. From that point, the sides were locked into a battle, trading rallies point-for-point, as Morris had a kill, Johnson went for an ace, and Yocham put up a block, while three in a row from the Senators sent them ahead 16-15. Frostburg finally was able to help put things away, going on an 8-1 run to take full control at 23-17, with Yocham starting things on a kill, junior Emery Kuebler putting down a skip-attack, and Appleton continuing to dominate on her serves with two more aces. Johnson then went for a push shot to get to match point, then Holloway had an easy flush on a ball over the net to close things out at 25-19.
 
Yocham led all scorers with nine kills, as Evans and Holloway each added five apiece, the latter setting a new career high. Freshman Miranda Ball drove the defensive effort with 16 digs, followed closely by Johnson's 15, with Appleton also reaching double figures at 10 while notching a match-high five aces.
 
With the win, Frostburg improves to 9-15 on the year while Davis & Elkins drops to 0-28. FSU will return home on Monday, November 2 to face West Liberty at 7 p.m. where it will be Senior Day in Bobcat Arena. Information and updates will be posted to frostburgsports.com.