WEST LIBERTY, W. Va. – The Frostburg State Volleyball team fell on the road 3-1 to West Liberty on Tuesday evening.
 
Sophomore Devin Brunk got the match started with a kill, as an early FSU balanced attack featured classmate Dani Kunkle and juniors Maya Johnson and Paige Mock all finding the floor, though the Hilltoppers were there every step of the way up to a 4-4 tie. WLU then began to string some runs together, outscoring the Bobcats 9-2 up to a 13-7 lead following an ace. Brunk, Johnson, and Kunkle each recorded kills in trimming the deficit to four, but a five-point West Liberty run put them in control 21-12. Frostburg wouldn't be able to mount any sort of comeback, as the hosts put the set away 25-14.
 
The sides again were evenly matched to begin the second set, seeing things at 5-5 early on. This time, however, it would by FSU to take the first momentum, as Brunk kicked off a 7-1 run with back-to-back kills, followed by a combo block between freshman Adele Evans and junior Grace Yocham, a kill from freshman Pia White, and senior Amanda Knieper tacking on an ace that put the Bobcats ahead 12-6. WLU pulled back within 13-9, but Mock joined Johnson on a block before putting up a solo stuff, while the latter added a kill to push the advantage to 16-9. The Hilltoppers wouldn't let things get out of hand, storming back with nine of the next ten to take a stunning 18-17 lead. Evans stopped the run with a kill before taking over defensively, putting up a solo block and joining Yocham for another, while Brunk put one down that swung things back to a 22-19 Frostburg score. A West Liberty kill did little to stop FSU, as Evans found the floor once more followed by back-to-back Hilltopper errors to even the match with a 25-20 Bobcat win.
 
Continuing the theme of early battles, another 5-5 score began the third, as in similar fashion to the first set, it would be WLU to take the first multi-score lead with a four-point run. A serving error was followed by a Brunk kill and another Knieper ace, pulling Frostburg back within 10-9. The sides went back and forth as West Liberty held on to at least a two-point lead before going on a 4-1 run that put them ahead 18-13. Evans tried to get the Bobcats going again with a kill, but the Hilltoppers shut down FSU's attack while scoring five of the next six to lead 23-15. Mock netted a pair of kills but West Liberty responded to both in taking the set 25-17.
 
Neither side looked to give the other any breathing room to start the fourth set, with the score standing at 8-8. WLU netted three in a row looking for some momentum, but a Frostburg timeout allowed Johnson to find the floor either side of a Brunk ace to tie things up 11-11. Another three-point Hilltopper run forced another FSU timeout, where Johnson again was the one to answer the call, while Kunkle added a pair of kills and Yocham stopped an attack to go up 18-16. West Liberty settled themselves, taking five of the next six before Johnson stopped the run, with the hosts clinging to a 22-21 lead. A serving error was followed by back-to-back Hilltopper kills, giving them the match 25-21.
 
Johnson led FSU with 11 kills on the day, as Brunk, Mock, and Kunkle all each had seven. Sophomores Allison Brown (13) and Emery Kuebler (10) each recorded double-digit digs, as the latter and White notched 18 assists apiece.
 
With the loss, Frostburg drops to 10-15 on the year, while West Liberty improves to 17-12. The Bobcats next travel to Fairmont State on Thursday, November 13 for their regular season finale. Information and updates will be posted to frostburgsports.com.