Frostburg State University Athletics

FROSTBURG, Md. – The Frostburg State Volleyball team dropped their home match 3-1 to Fairmont State on Tuesday night.
 
The Bobcats got out to a hot start, as a Fairmont error was followed by three consecutive aces at the line by sophomore Alliyah McNair for a 4-0 lead. After Frostburg led 5-2 through sophomore Adele Evans' kill, the Fighting Falcons went on a 10-1 run to surge ahead 12-6. Senior Maya Johnson helped stop the run with a score, followed by another by freshman Kayla Greene and an ace by senior Alyssa Stanton to stay within 14-9. Fairmont then netted four of five to lead by eight, however the Bobcats still had some fight, as Evans, Johnson, and seniors Grace Yocham and Raegan Philips all found the floor to get back within 20-15. The comeback attempt fell short, as the final five points went to the Falcons in winning 25-15.
 
Fairmont took their momentum into the second set, scoring four of the first five points and eventually establishing an 8-3 advantage. Frostburg took three of four through Greene and freshman Gabrielle Morris earning kills, however a 5-1 Falcon run kept them ahead 14-7. The sides traded points back-and-forth up to Fairmont holding a 19-11 lead before the Bobcats chipped at the deficit. Morris started things with a kill, as Stanton notched an ace followed by Evans, Yocham, and senior Emma Larkins all finding the floor to pull within 22-19. Back-to-back Falcon points had them at set point, where Yocham's score wouldn't be enough to prevent a 25-20 loss.
 
Seeking to close things out with a sweep, Fairmont surged out to a 9-3 lead in set three, only giving Frostburg a pair of points on errors. The Bobcats were determined to keep the match alive, however, as Morris and freshman Judy Steffens put down four combined kills while Stanton earned another pair of scores at the service line, suddenly putting Frostburg ahead 11-10. The Falcons looked to recover with three unanswered but junior Emery Kuebler caused plenty of issues for them on her serves, helping spark an 8-0 run with a pair of aces, as Steffens and Yocham had five combined kills, with the former also joining Philips on a block to lead 19-13. Fairmont came right back with five of the next six to pull within two points, as Morris helped extend the lead out with a score and combo block with Johnson at 23-19. With the Falcons once more cutting the deficit down to two, Johnson spiked one down before Larkins was able to end the set and keep the match going with a 25-22 victory.
 
The sides traded scoring runs to start the fourth set, as Philips led Frostburg's early offense with a pair of kills, while Morris joined Yocham and Johnson on blocks to a 6-6 tie. Following a pair of Fairmont points, the Bobcats tried to take momentum with four in a row, as Johnson and Larkins found the floor either side of a Morris-Larkins block to lead 10-8. The Falcons had other ideas, however, going on an 8-1 run to gain control of the set at 16-11. Steffens helped end the run on a kill, as Philips followed with one of her own while freshman Miranda Ball had an ace and Yocham sent an attack back where it came from to pull back within 18-16. Fairmont looked to run away with things in going up 21-17 but Frostburg wasn't done yet, as Johnson, Morris, Philips and Steffens went for four consecutive scores and Stanton capped things off with an ace for a 22-22 tie. Each team traded score-for-score with Yocham fending off set point, however a serving and attacking error from the Bobcats gave the Falcons the 26-24 set and match win.
 
Yocham led the attack in tying her season-high with 11 kills while also joining Morris on a match-high four blocks apiece. Shetty and Kuebler combined for 40 assists, while Ball drove the defensive effort on a match-best 21 digs and Stanton set a career high with five aces.
 
With the loss, Frostburg drops to 5-11 on the year, while Fairmont improves to 17-4. The Bobcats will next hit the road as they travel to Charleston (WV) on Friday, October 9 at 7 p.m. Information and updates will be posted to frostburgsports.com.