Volleyball Concludes Season in Quarterfinal Loss to Wheeling

INSTITUTE, W. Va. – The Frostburg State Volleyball team saw their season come to a close with a 3-0 loss to Wheeling in the Quarterfinals of the MEC Tournament on Tuesday afternoon.
 
From the first whistle in set one, the Cardinals controlled the tempo, jumping ahead 7-0 and never looking back. Senior Beverly Braun got FSU on the board, followed by a pair of kills from senior McKaily Thomson-Moran at a 13-4 deficit. Sophomore Amanda Knieper, junior AJ Thompson, and senior Hayley Delor added the only other scores for the Bobcats, as they fell 25-9.
 
The second set began a more even affair, with Braun earning a solo block and kill, followed by a score from freshman Paige Mock to make it a 7-5 game with Wheeling in the lead. As the set went on, Knieper, Delor, Braun, and Mock all added kills, then back-to-back Cardinal errors brought Frostburg within one at 14-13. That would be as close as they got, however, as Wheeling finished things on an 11-2 run that gave them the set 25-15 and a 2-0 match lead.
 
WU scored the first three points in the third, but FSU hit back with a kill by freshman Maddie Lewis, an ace from Braun, and consistent offense from both Knieper and Braun, who combined for four kills before a Delor-Thomson-Moran block got the Bobcats within 8-7. As Wheeling tried to pull away, Thomson-Moran found the floor twice in a row, then Lewis and Knieper chipped in to keep the deficit at just three. The Cardinals grew their advantage to as many as six, with Thomson-Moran and Braun combining for three scores to kepe the set alive. WU surged ahead once more, and despite a pair of late Knieper kills, took the set 25-20 for the match sweep.
 
Braun recorded a team-high eight kills, with Delor providing 30 assists in the effort.
 
With the loss, Frostburg concludes their season at 15-16, while Wheeling improves to 23-7 and advances to the MEC Semifinals.