Mock, Kunkle Lead Volleyball to Five-Set Win Over West Liberty in Home Season Finale

FROSTBURG, Md. – The Frostburg State Volleyball team took their home season finale with a thrilling 3-2 victory over West Liberty on Tuesday evening. 
 
Frostburg got off to a hot start to begin the match, taking the first four points off two blocks from sophomore Paige Mock and freshman Devin Brunk, and junior Amanda Knieper putting down a service ace.  The Hilltoppers snuck in three points to their score, but a kill from freshman Dani Kunkle started another three point rally for the Bobcats, advancing their lead to 8-3.  FSU racked up two pairs of points off scores from senior AJ Thompson and Knieper, before seeing four consecutive points to increase their advantage to 16-6.  Frostburg slowly put down points over the next few minutes, as WLU started to get their rhythm, cutting the set to three with a 21-18 score.  Four more straight points from the Bobcats sealed the deal, as Mock teamed up with sophomore Maya Johnson for the game winning block to put the final score of set one at 25-18.
 
West Liberty started set two their way, taking the first six points of the match.  FSU then put together their rally, with freshman Emery Kuebler dishing to Knieper for a kill while Mock saw two service aces to guide the game to 7-6.  The Bobcats took their first lead of the set with a 9-8 score, when Kunkle pushed down a kill.  WLU fought to retake the lead, but three more points for Frostburg gave the Bobcats a 13-11 advantage.  Both teams swapped leads and points as the set went on, with the Hilltoppers jumping out in front 19-17.  The game sat at a 20-20 tie before it looked like FSU would put it away with a 23-21 lead off kills from Thompson and Johnson.  West Liberty fought for two more ties, before another block, this time from Mock and Kunkle, helped the Bobcats take the 27-25 victory in set two. 
 
The Hilltoppers swatted down the first point of set three, before points from Knieper, Mock, and Kunkle put FSU on top 3-1.  WLU kept themselves in it early, before kills from Kunkle and Brunk helped Frostburg to a 7-4 lead.  The Bobcats hung on to their tight lead for as long as they could, before West Liberty jumped in front 13-12.  With then a lead at 14-13, a trio of points from FSU put the Bobcats back on top 16-14.  WLU continued to push with their momentum, not going down without a fight, as they quickly put themselves back in command with a 21-18 lead.  Two attack errors kept Frostburg close, but the Hilltoppers were able to take the final point of the set for a 25-23 win to force set four. 
 
Both teams swapped points to open up set four, as three attack errors from WLU put FSU on top early 3-1.  West Liberty surged back to take the lead staying in front at 9-7.  Both teams continued to rally, exchanging points throughout the set, with Knieper, Johnson, Kunkle, and Brunk all seeing scores for Frostburg.  The Bobcats took back the lead with Kuebler dishing to Kunkle for a kill, and Kunkle and Thompson working together for a block, all to see a 15-12 score.  Johnson knocked down one more kill for FSU, before the Hilltoppers surged for four points to retake a lead at 18-16.  Looking to close out the match, Frostburg stormed back for three straight points and a 19-18 advantage, but WLU was able to rally when they needed it most, forcing set five with a 25-20 victory. 
 
With the game on the line, West Liberty was given the first point of set five, before a kill from Brunk got FSU on the board.  Both teams fought through ties, with the Bobcats holding a 5-4 and 6-5 advantage.  The Hilltoppers tied the game at six apiece, before a kill from Knieper and a block from Johnson and Mock put Frostburg on top 8-6.  Both teams continued to swap points, as FSU held on to their two-point lead after multiple scores from WLU.  After Kunkle knotted a kill, and West Liberty coughed up an attack error, the Bobcats pushed in front 14-11, as Knieper was able to put down the final point of the match, leaving Frostburg with the 15-12 five set victory for the 3-2 match win. 
 
Kunkle led all scorers with 15 kills, while Thompson and Knieper each added eight.  Mock provided a game-high 12 blocks, while Brunk helped with six and Johnson saw three.  Kuebler dished out a game-high 28 assists, while redshirt junior Phoebe Lingold was right behind her with 18.  Senior Fiona Gonzalez Medina put up 23 digs, while Kunkle was next with 16 and Kuebler finished with 14. 
 
With the win, Frostburg moves to 11-15 on the season, while West Liberty goes to 15-13, as the Bobcats also clinch a spot in the MEC Tournament.  Frostburg finishes out the regular season on Friday, November 15 as they go on the road to face Fairmont State at 7 PM.  For more information and updates, please visit frostburgsports.com.