Frostburg State University Athletics

FAIRMONT, W. Va. – The Frostburg State Volleyball team saw their MEC Tournament run come to an end with a 3-1 loss to Wheeling in the conference semifinals on Thursday evening.
 
FSU made program history on Wednesday, defeating the South Division one seed Concord in a 3-1 upset for their first-ever quarterfinal victory. WU took down Charleston (WV) in their first round, as they entered the tournament as the North Division's two seed at 19-10 overall and 12-4 in MEC play.
 
The sides traded points through the opening of the first set, as seniors Maya Johnson and Grace Yocham each notched a kill for a 3-3 tie. Frostburg responded to a Cardinal three-point run with one of their own, as senior Raegan Philips and freshman Temerah Holloway found the floor, however a 5-1 run from Wheeling had them ahead 10-7. FSU slowly made their way back, as sophomore Adele Evans put down a trio of spikes while Yocham added two of her own and Philips joined Holloway on a block in suddenly going up 15-14. WU settled themselves and took seven of the next nine, taking a 21-17 advantage looking for the set victory. After trading points, Frostburg found some momentum through a Yocham kill and Johnson ace, as a Wheeling error put things at 23-22, however back-to-back errors closed out the frame with a 25-22 score.
 
Hoping to continue their upward trend into the second set, the Cardinals took four of the first five points, however FSU responded in force. McNair kicked things off with a kill, as she served up a pair of aces to go with Yocham finding the floor twice in turning things around to a 7-4 lead. Evans and Jonhson put down the next three points for the Bobcats to stay ahead by three, however two aces and three kills from WU put them narrowly ahead 11-10. Frostburg hit back with four of the next five, as Holloway, McNair, and Evans provided the offense, with back-to-back Wheeling points tying things at 14-14.
 
FSU then began to take control, as two Cardinal errors bookended a 5-1 run in which McNair, Yocham, and Evans each found the floor to lead 19-15. Fighting right back, WU hit four in a row to tie the score once again, with Yocham powering down two consecutive spikes in keeping Frostburg ahead. Philips and Yocham then put up a combo block to prevent Wheeling from getting much late momentum, as McNair and Holloway put home a pair of kills to tie the match up with the 25-21 victory.
 
The Cardinals looked to reverse their fortunes at the start of the third frame, scoring the first two points on kills and using that early momentum to eventually surge ahead 9-3. Yocham found the floor while Johnson had an ace to keep FSU afloat, then after three in a row from Wheeling, McNair helped power a five-point rally with two kills, while Evans and Yocham joined on a block to pull all the way back within 12-10. WU had no intentions of letting their advantage slip any further, as they hit four in a row and nine of the next eleven to take a commanding 21-12 lead. Evans, Johnson, and Philips each recorded a score late on but the deficit was too much to overcome in the 25-15 final.
 
With their season on the line, Frostburg had some early success in the fourth set, as Yocham, McNair, and Johnson had three of the first four points. The Cardinals quickly tied things up, then after a Yocham kill, took full momentum with six unanswered for a 9-4 lead. With their relentless approach, Wheeling didn't let FSU have any chance to gather themselves as their advantage eventually grew up to 18-9. McNair had a kill while two WU errors slightly opened the door for a comeback, however four of the next five kept the Cardinals rolling at 22-13. Freshman Gabrielle Morris and Johnson netted the final four tallies for the Bobcats, as Wheeling put things away at 25-16 for the 3-1 match final.
 
McNair led all scorers with 14 kills, followed closely by Yocham's 12, as Evans also chipped in with nine. Johnson drove the defensive effort with 16 digs, while freshman Miranda Ball also reached double figures on 11.
 
With the loss, Frostburg's season ends at 11-17 while the Cardinals advance to the MEC Championship match at 20-10.