PITTSBURGH, Pa. – The Frostburg State volleyball team picked up their first conference win of the year with a comeback 3-2 road victory at Point Park on Tuesday night.
After starting the match fairly even, FSU took an early 7-3 lead thanks to a pair of Pioneer errors followed by a block between sophomore Adele Evans and senior Grace Yocham, who also added a kill after classmate Maya Johnson put one down. PPU was able to work their way back into the set, pulling back within 10-8 before the Bobcats did some damage. Sophomore Alliyah McNair and freshman Gabrielle Morris set the tone with a combo block, leading to nine unanswered an a 12-1 scoring run where McNair was excelling at the service line. Freshman Judy Steffens put in a trio of kills and joined Morris on a block, while McNair added a pair of scores and an ace in blowing the advantage up to 22-9. Point Park put together some offense late on but a pair of serving errors preceded McNair ending things on a spike at 25-14.
The early part of the second set featured runs from both sides, as the Pioneers netted the first three points before FSU took the next seven, as Steffens went for back-to-back scores while freshman Miranda Ball put up a couple aces. The Bobcats grew the lead out to 11-7, as Evans spiked one down before joining Yocham on a block, with the hosts staying within touching distance up to 17-14. The momentum shift in the set came on a five-point swing that put the Pioneers up 19-17 before extending out to 23-20. McNair looked to try and get Frostburg back into things with a kill to pull within two, however Point Park got enough offense late to take the set 25-22.
McNair began the third set with a kill and an ace in trying to set the tone, however PPU settled in and didn't allow the lead to ever get to more than three up to an 11-8 score. The Pioneers then took full momentum, winning eight of the next nine points to go up 16-12. Evans and Yocham helped stop the bleeding, each knocking down a kill and combining on a block, then a McNair score and sophomore Kylie Appleton ace tied things at 19-19. Point Park wasn't fazed, scoring five of the next six and looking certain to take the set at 24-20. The Bobcats had other ideas, fending off three set points on kills from McNair and Johnson either side of the former's ace, before a PPU timeout settled the hosts and allowed them to end the set at 25-23.
Looking to put the match away, PPU would race ahead 4-0 to start the fourth set, however the Bobcats stunned the home crowd, rolling off nine unanswered. Appleton put down a pair of aces, while McNair added two kills and joined Morris on a block, with Steffens tacking on a score to lead 10-5. In response, the Pioneers scored five in a row to tie things up, then looked to take momentum again with a kill and two aces to lead 14-12. Frostburg was able to withstand the run and once again find their rhythm, as sophomore Bailey Rafferty and junior Emery Kuebler earned a pair of aces while Johnson had a kill to go with a Yocham-Morris block in flipping the set over to a 21-16 advantage. Point Park rallied with three in a row to get back within two, but FSU scored the final four points of the set, with McNair joining senior Raegan Philips on three combined kills to stay alive in the match at 25-19.
A kill on the first point from Johnson set the tone for the winner-take-all fifth set, as Morris, McNair, and Steffens each also found the floor while Ball earned an ace as FSU ran up a 7-1 lead. Despite PPU being willed on by their home crowd and taking two of three, Frostburg wouldn't let up, continuing to hit the ball well and netting four in a row on kills from McNair, Yocham, and Johnson. After Morris spiked one down, Kuebler would end things on an ace, taking the set in convincing fashion 15-5.
McNair had a career day in leading the offense, going for 19 kills and a .353 hitting percentage. Morris aided the defensive effort with a match-high five blocks, while Ball notched double-digit digs at 13. Kuebler added 24 assists on the day, with Ball and freshman Rhea Shetty combining for 19 between the pair.
With the win, Frostburg is now 4-8 on the year, while Point Park drops to 2-8. The Bobcats will next host Davis & Elkins on Friday, September 25 at 7 PM. For more information, please visit frostburgsports.com.
