Volleyball Drops Close Sweep to WVSU in MEC Quarterfinals to Conclude Season

INSTITUTE, W.Va. – The Frostburg State Volleyball team ended their season on Thursday evening with a 3-0 loss to West Virginia State in the Quarterfinals of the Mountain East Conference Tournament. 
 
West Virginia State got off to a rough start, coughing up three attack errors to open the game with three free points for Frostburg.  The Yellow Jackets finally got on the board with a kill, before three more attack errors from WVSU put the Bobcats on top 6-1.  Freshman Dani Kunkle knocked down the first kill of the set for FSU, as the Bobcats found themselves with an 8-5 lead to start off set one.  West Virgnia State battled back to tie the set at eight, but again, two more errors from WVSU's offense awarded Frostburg two more points for a 10-0 advantage.  Both teams swapped points for the next few rallies, with sophomore Maya Johnson and senior AJ Thompson getting in on the offensive action at the net for FSU.  Back-to-back scores from Thompson and Kunkle tied the game at 17, but two straight points from the Yellow Jackets gave them back their lead.  West Virginia State found themselves with a three point advantage, their largest of the set, before scores from freshman Devin Brunk and junior Amanda Knieper again put the game at a tie, this time at 21.  WVSU soared right back in front, as freshman Emery Kuebler dished to sophomore Paige Mock for the Bobcat's final point of the match, as the Yellow Jackets hung on for the 25-22 victory in set one. 
 
Carrying that momentum over to set two, West Virginia State put down the first two points of the set.  A kill from Mock, followed by a service ace from Knieper, put Frostburg right back in the game with a 2-2 tie.  WVSU was able to spark together a rally for an 8-3 edge, before a kill from Kunkle and a service ace from Brunk brought FSU back within one.  The Yellow Jackets pushed to keep their one-point advantage over the next few scores for each team, until West Virginia State built their lead once again, this time to 17-13.  A kill and a service ace from Brunk, along with a kill from Kunkle put Frostburg back within one once more, before WVSU rallied again to extend their lead to four.  The Bobcats kept within three as the set finished out, but West Virginia State kept their advantage just enough for the 25-21 set two win. 
 
Kunkle knotted the first kill of set three, but WVSU answered with five consecutive points to skip in front 5-1.  The Bobcats secured a point off another Yellow Jacket error, but West Virginia State kept their lead for a 7-4 game.  Frostburg rallied for four straight points to jump in front 8-7 with another kill from Thompson.  West Virginia State fought back to gather a 10-8 edge, before FSU sent two points down for another tie game.  WVSU took five straight points, followed by another four-point rally to push their lead to 19-11.  With their season on the line, the Bobcats rallied for seven huge points, with three points coming off blocks from Thompson and Johnson.  Now with a 20-19 game, the Yellow Jackets put down a duo of points to extend their lead to three.  Frostburg got within one twice more, as a kill from Mock would be the final point of the season for FSU, as West Virginia State held on for the 25-23 set three win and the 3-0 sweep. 
 
Kunkle led the offense for Frostburg with eight kills, while providing nine digs on the defensive end.  Thompson (6) and Mock (5) were next in kills, while Thompson led the block party with five, and Mock and Johnson were both next with four.  Redshirt junior Phoebe Lingold finished with a team-high 11 assists, while Kuebler was next with nine.  Senior Fiona Gonzalez Medina led the team in digs with 12, while Kuebler also saw nine. 
 
With the loss, Frostburg concludes their season with a 11-17 record, while West Virginia State moves to 21-9 on the season and advances to the Semifinals.  For more information and updates, please visit frostburgsports.com.