Frostburg State University Athletics

SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – The Frostburg State Volleyball team dropped their opening match at the Slippery Rock Tournament with a 3-0 decision against the hosts on Friday.
 
A pair of SRU errors gave FSU an early lead, which they expanded on with a kill from senior Maya Johnson and an ace by freshman Miranda Ball to go up 6-2. The Rock fought back with three of the next four before a spike by sophomore Alliyah McNair and an error kept Frostburg ahead 8-5. Slippery Rock swiftly gained control of the set, netting eight of the next nine points to take a 13-9 lead. Johnson and freshman Gabrielle Morris tried to get the Bobcats going with a kill apiece, however SRU went on a 6-1 run to take a 19-12 advantage. Aside from a block between Johnson and sophomore Adele Evans, Frostburg's only remaining points came on Rock errors, with the hosts winning the set 25-16.
 
The sides were fairly even at the start of the second frame, where FSU was led on a balanced attack from Morris, McNair, and seniors Grace Yocham and Raegan Philips to lead 10-7. As they had done in the opening set, Slippery Rock used a run to gain the upper hand, taking seven of the next nine to go ahead 16-12. The Rock advantage eventually grew up to eight, as Johnson found the floor, sophomore Pia White served an ace, and Morris put up a solo block before Frostburg eventually fell 25-18.
 
Looking to put the match away, SRU jumped out to a quick 5-1 lead at the start of the third. The Rock held onto a multi-point advantage up to a 10-5 score before the Bobcats found some fight and a turnaround in the set. Johnson kicked off the run by finding the floor, as McNair and Yocham followed suit before freshman Judy Steffens joined in on the fun, with FSU suddenly finding themselves up 11-10. Both teams then went back and forth, as Yocham and McNair netted the next four Frostburg points, helping them stay ahead 17-15. Steffens then put up a pair of blocks, joining Evans on one before getting a solo stuff, as a McNair kill and serving error brought things to a 20-20 tie. It would be the final even score of the match, as The Rock powered the final five points to take the match sweep and the set 25-20.
 
McNair led FSU's attack with 10 kills, as Ball (13) and White (10) drove the defensive effort with double-digit digs.
 
With the loss, Frostburg drops to 2-6 on the year, while Slippery Rock improves to 4-4. The Bobcats will next face Bloomsburg and Roberts Wesleyan in a double feature on Saturday, September 12 at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., respectively. Information and updates will be posted to frostburgsports.com.