Volleyball Falls in Road Match to Wheeling

WHEELING, W. Va. – The Frostburg State Volleyball team dropped their road match to Wheeling on Tuesday night in a three-set sweep.
 
WU took the upper hand to start the first set, winning nine of the first eleven points on their way to a 9-2 lead. Senior Beverly Braun and sophomore Amanda Knieper both responded with kills, as the latter also put up a solo block before junior AJ Thompson and freshman Maddie Lewis combined on one of their own, getting the deficit back to 11-7. Thompson knocked down a trio of kills in trying to keep FSU competitive in the set, but the Cardinals continuously held a multi-point lead and didn't let the Bobcats go on a run. Down 19-12, Braun and Lewis recorded kills, with the former also serving up an ace, getting within four points. After a timeout, Wheeling scored the next four, effectively ending any hope of a Frostburg comeback, with the hosts going on to take the set 25-16.
 
Set two began more even, with Braun providing a couple FSU points up to a 3-3 tie. WU quickly rattled off the next five scores, as Lewis stopped the run with back-to-back kills at 8-5. Another sequence of Cardinal offense put them ahead 14-6, as Thompson, Braun provided the Bobcat offense, and seniors McKaily Thomson-Moran and Hayley Delor supplied some defense on a block. Wheeling simply didn't slow down their attack, growing the lead up to 22-11, but were met with some stiff FSU resistance late on. Knieper and freshman Paige Mock both found the floor, followed by aces from Braun and junior Fiona Gonzalez Medina, but WU had built up too much of an advantage to overcome, winning 25-19.
 
Wheeling bettered their set one start by jumping ahead 12-2 in the third set, looking to put the match away quickly. Lewis, Mock, and Knieper combined for four total kills as Frostburg tried to find their offense, but the defense didn't have an answer to the Cardinals' attack. Braun provided a chunk of some late FSU scoring, combining with Mock on a block, knocking down a kill, and getting another ace, but WU were too much on the night, winning 25-14 for the match sweep.
 
Braun led the offense with 10 kills and three aces, while Gonzalez Medina was tops defensively with a match-high 19 digs.
 
With the loss, Frostburg falls to 14-13, while Wheeling improves to 20-6. FSU returns to Bobcat Arena on Friday, November 3 to face Notre Dame (Ohio) at 7 p.m. Information and updates will be posted to frostburgsports.com.