INSTITUTE, W.Va. – The West Liberty University volleyball team stormed back from a 2-1 deficit here Saturday night to hand West Virginia State a 3-2 loss in a Mountain East Conference thriller at the Walker Convocation Center.
    Coach Kayla Mull's Hilltoppers (18-6, 7-2) dropped the first set by a 25-20 count but rebounded to square the match with a 25-21 nod in the second set.
    The Yellow Jackets (18-9, 4-5) coasted to a 25-20 decision in the third set but WLU rebounded with a 25-19 victory in the fourth set before leading virtually wire-to-wire for a 15-10 win in the fifth and final set.
    Madison Clayton had another huge match with 16 kills and 6 blocks but the 6-5 sophomore got plenty of help. Kailee Cunningham also came up big with a double-double of a career-high 15 kills and a match-high 28 digs. Mackenzie Sims also had a double-double with 13 kills and 11 digs and Olivia Baumhoer added 10 kills.
    Kendall Souder paired 37 assists with a dozen digs and Renee Lemke contributed 28 assists.
    The West Liberty women visit Shepherd on Tuesday in a battle for sole possession of second place in the MEC standings. First serve is set for 7 p.m. in Shepherdstown.