FROSTBURG, Md. – The Frostburg State Volleyball team dropped their Saturday home match against West Virginia State by a 3-1 final.
 
WVSU began the match with a block and a kill to take the first two points, with FSU responding on junior Paige Mock earning a solo block before joining classmate Maya Johnson on another. The Yellow Jackets netted the next four scores to go up by three, but the Bobcats slowly chipped away, as sophomore Dani Kunkle led the way on a pair of kills and an ace to pull ahead 9-8. The visitors again tried to put together a run to establish a multi-point lead, going up 12-9 and 14-11, but Frostburg kept battling back, as sophomore Devin Brunk had back-to-back scores while Johnson and Mock had another block and Kunkle found the floor to tie things at 16-16. The Bobcats then took five of six to lead 21-19 but WVSU hit back with four of the next five to pull ahead 23-22. Mock and Brunk then each got a kill either side of a Yellow Jacket error, giving Frostburg the set 25-23.
 
FSU looked to continue their momentum into the second set, moving ahead 4-1 following three WV State errors and a Mock-Johnson block. WVSU fought their way back to tie things at four, then each team went nearly point-for-point in their runs up to a 15-14 Bobcat lead following a Kunkle kill and Mock ace. The sides traded three-point rallies, as an ace from freshman Bailey Rafferty kept Frostburg in the lead, but a 7-2 Yellow Jacket run gave them four set points at 24-20. An attacking error was immediately followed by a kill as WV State evened the match at 25-21.
 
The Bobcats again started fast in the third, as Johnson and Kunkle both found the floor en route to a 3-0 advantage. WVSU rattled off five of the next six to hold a one-point advantage but Frostburg put down eight of the next nine to take control 12-6. The surge was led by Kunkle and freshman Nevaeh Ware, who combined for six total kills, while the former also tacked on an ace during the run. FSU continued to dominate, with Ware, Brunk, and Mock earning kills while sophomore Emery Kuebler and Brunk both added aces as the lead grew to 19-9. WV State quickly turned things around, however, going for seven of the next eight to pull within 20-16. Frostburg managed to maintain their distance through kills from Kunkle, freshman Adele Evans, and Ware, earning multiple set points at 24-19. The Yellow Jackets had other ideas, fending off all five of FSU's chances to win, then put down the set's final three points to win 27-25.
 
Seeking to put the match away, WVSU began the fourth set with a 6-3 lead before the Bobcats recovered on a trio of kills from Ware and Brunk to even things 7-7. WV State then rebuilt their lead by taking six of the next eight, moving up 13-9. Despite regular scoring from FSU, they weren't able to build any type of run that got them closer than two points the rest of the way, as the visitors took the match with a 25-19 win.
 
Kunkle had a double-double of 13 kills and 10 digs, with Brunk (11) just behind her in the former category. Kuebler and Rafferty made their presence felt on both sides of the court, combining for 41 assists and 23 digs between the pair.
 
With the loss, Frostburg drops to 6-12 overall, while WVSU improves to 9-10. The Bobcats next will hit the road to face Davis & Elkins on Tuesday, October 21 at 7 p.m. Information and updates will be posted to frostburgsports.com.