BUFFALO, N.Y. – The Frostburg State Volleyball team lost their final two games of the D'Youville Tournament on Saturday, dropping a 3-0 decision to Slippery Rock and falling 3-1 to the host Saints.
 
Match one against The Rock began with FSU taking the first two points off a block from juniors Grace Yocham and Paige Mock, with the latter adding a kill. SRU swiftly took control of the set from that point, getting six of the next seven points and starting a run that led to an 11-5 advantage. Freshman Nevaeh Ware then found the floor and Mock combined with sophomore Devin Brunk on a block, but Slippery Rock was there once again with four in a row and a 15-7 lead. The Bobcats were able to take five of seven points in closing the gap to five, but seven of the final nine points went to The Rock for a 25-14 set victory.
 
Frostburg was able to keep things closer in the second set, playing out to a 6-6 tie with kills by Brunk, Mock, and freshman Adele Evans. A couple of SRU runs eventually had them up 14-10, when Evans found the floor followed by an error to get within two. Slippery Rock tried to pull away with four straight points, but FSU hit right back with six of their own, as sophomore Dani Kunkle provided a pair of aces while Yocham added a kill to make things 19-18. The Rock were able to fend off the rally, netting three in a row and then taking the final two points to win 25-20.
 
Facing the possibility of a sweep, the Bobcats took a quick 4-1 advantage to start the third, as Brunk, Mock, and Kunkle each provided kills. SRU eventually worked their way back to a 7-7 tie before a serving error and back-to-back kills put them ahead 10-7. FSU erased their three-point deficit swiftly, scoring six of the next seven points in which Brunk took over the offense, planting four scores to pull ahead 14-12. The sides went back and forth across several rallies, as it seemed Frostburg would be able to force a fourth set after a Mock kill and an ace from junior Alyssa Stanton put the Bobcats up 22-19. Slippery Rock had other ideas, however, taking four of the next five points to pull level before fending off a set point and putting up the final three scores to take the match 26-24.
 
Brunk led FSU with eight kills and 12 digs, while Evans had a match-high four blocks and sophomore Emery Kuebler finished with 22 assists.
 
In the second match against DYU, the teams played evenly through the first few rallies, as a Kunkle kill and Saints error gave the Bobcats a narrow 6-5 lead. D'Youville quickly shifted momentum to their side by taking five of the next six points to move ahead 10-7. Three consecutive errors that featured an Evans-Yocham block then got FSU back tied at 10 apiece. Once again, the sides could barely be separated rally after rally, as DYU nudged ahead 16-15 before another 5-1 run put them ahead by five. The Frostburg deficit eventually stood at 23-17, but they were able to fight back, as an error kicked off four consecutive points that included a Mock-Yocham block and a Brunk kill to pull back within two. The Saints were able to make the most of their lead, as a kill and Bobcat serving error gave them a 25-22 set victory.
 
D'Youville used their late run to provide a spark into the second frame, taking an early 5-1 advantage. FSU eventually worked their way back to within two, then after going down 9-6, Kunkle served up a pair of aces during a five-point run that also had an Evans-Brunk block, with the latter adding a kill to lead 11-9. Frostburg continued to build, as Yocham and Brunk each found the floor to expand to a four-point lead before back-to-back Saint kills stopped the run. After Brunk secured another kill followed by an ace, DYU put up five of the next six points to turn things around and regain a 20-19 lead. Frostburg's only points the rest of the way came from D'Youville scoring errors, as the visitors took the set 25-21.
 
Determined not to get swept for a second-straight match, FSU came flying out of the third with a 6-1 lead, as Mock and Brunk combined for a pair of blocks while sophomore Allison Brown put up an ace. Two kills each from Kuebler and Kunkle eventually grew the advantage to 10-4 as the Bobcats were able to hold off DYU from getting any major runs. Mock drove the attack with three kills, while Brunk, Kunkle, and Kuebler each chipped in with scores as well to go up 19-11. Yocham then took over late on, putting down three scores with Kunkle and Brown adding aces to stay alive at 25-16.
 
Having been denied their sweep attempt, the Saints came out strong in the fourth, leading 5-2 on the back of a pair of aces and a Bobcat serving error. FSU eventually settled in and got back to a 7-7 tie after an Evans-Kunkle block. D'Youville took three of the next four points to lead by two, but four straight points from Kunkle putting up a kill and an ace led Frostburg to a 12-10 advantage. From that point, neither side wanted to let momentum get away, battling away to an 18-all game. The Bobcats jumped ahead 22-19 after kills by Kunkle and Brunk as well as a pair of Saint errors, however six of the final seven points belonged to DYU as they secured the match with a 25-23 victory.
 
Brunk led FSU with 10 kills and nine digs, while Kunkle had a career-high five aces and Evans also enjoyed a personal-best with seven blocks.
 
With the losses, Frostburg drops to 4-6 on the year, as they now head into conference play, taking to the road against Concord on Friday, September 26 at 7 p.m. Information and updates will be posted to frostburgsports.com.