INDIANA, Pa. – West Liberty University head volleyball coach Kayla Mull entered the school record books with her 100th career win here Friday as the Lady Hilltoppers swept both of their matches on the opening day of the Quality Inn Crimson Hawk Invitational hosted by Indiana (Pa.) University.
    West Liberty (5-1) opened the day's proceedings with a 3-2 victory against an Indiana (Pa.) squad that had advanced to the semifinals of last year's NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional before picking up the milestone win for their head coach with a 3-1 triumph over Roberts Wesleyan (N.Y.).
    Just into her seventh season on the hill, Mull has led WLU to its first back-to-back 20-win seasons in more than three decades and is coming off a run to last year's MEC Tournament championship game where the Black and Gold battled nationally-ranked Wheeling Jesuit to the wire before falling just short in a 5-set thriller.
    Her 100th victory eclipsed the previous school standard of 99 wins set by West Liberty Hall of Famer Rhonda Noble, who guided the Lady Hilltopper program from 1985-94.
    In the first match, the Hilltoppers and Crimson Hawks split the first four sets. WLU took the first and third sets by scores of 25-16 and 25-18 only to see IUP win the second set, 25-19, and keep its hopes alive by hanging on for a 25-22 nod in the fourth set.
    The fifth and final set was over almost before it started as the Black and Gold scored the first five points and never looked back on their way to closing out the match with a lop-sided 15-6 decision.
    Caitlin Clarke set the pace with 17 kills and a pair of blocks while Raimey Benson added 13 kills and Madison Clayton finished with 11 kills and 3 blocks.
    Amanda Leonard and Kendall Souder each posted double-doubles. Leonard was charted with 28 assists and 11 digs while Souder posted 24 assists and 10 digs. Kailee Cunningham checked in with a team-high 26 digs.
    The Hilltoppers jumped on Roberts Wesleyan right out of the box, winning the first two sets by margins of 25-16 and 25-9. The New York squad extended the match with a 25-22 win in the third set but WLU put Coach Mull's 100th win on ice with a 25-21 verdict in the fourth set.
    Benson paced a balanced attack with 10 kills while Clarke added 9 more and Olivia Baumhoer and Abbi Gillson each had 8. Renee Lemke and Souder were charted with 14 and 12 assists, respectively, while Cunningham had 22 digs and Mackenzie Sims added 15 more.
    The West Liberty women close out the tournament with two more matches here Saturday afternoon. The Black and Gold squares off against Holy Family (Pa.) at 12:30 p.m. followed by a 3 p.m. match against Lake Erie (Ohio).