CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The West Liberty University women's volleyball team fell by a 3-1 count to the University of Charleston here Friday night in Mountain East Conference action at the Wehrle Center.
    It was the second straight loss for Coach Kayla Mull's Hilltoppers (17-6, 6-2) while the Golden Eagles (11-12, 6-2) moved into a tie with West Liberty and Shepherd for second place in the MEC standings.
    The Black and Gold got off to a good start with a 26-24 win in the first set but struggled to finish off points the rest of the night. The Hilltoppers hit at a .239 clip during their opening set win but saw their hitting percentage slip in each succeeding set to finish at .129 for the match.
    Charleston squared matters with a 25-19 win in the second set and momentum shifted to UC's side of the ledger with a 25-17 nod in the third set. After West Liberty fell behind early in the fourth set, the Hilltoppers battled back to pull within 18-16 only to see the hosts score 7 of the next 8 points to close out the match.
    Olivia Baumhoer had a strong match for the visitors with 16 kills and 3 blocks. Raimey Benson chipped in with 9 kills and 2 blocks while Madison Clayton added 8 kills and 4 blocks in a losing cause.
    Kendall Souder had a double-double with 24 assists and 10 digs and Kailee Cunnningham was charted with 24 digs.
    West Liberty will try to bounce back on Saturday when they head to West Virginia State for a 5 p.m. match.