WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. – The West Liberty University volleyball team remained unbeaten in Mountain East Conference play on Saturday with a 3-1 victory against Shepherd at the ASRC.
    It was the second MEC win in less than 24 hours for Coach Kayla Mull's Hilltoppers (11-3, 2-0), following Friday's night's 3-0 sweep of Fairmont State, and the Black and Gold simply picked up where they had left off.
    West Liberty dominated the opening set in a 25-18 win and jumped out to a 9-1 lead in the second set only to see the Rams (9-5, 0-2) battle back to steal a 25-23 decision.
    Shepherd carried that momentum into the third set, scoring 8 of the first 9 points, but WLU responded with an extended surge that carried the hosts to a 25-23 win. West Liberty never trailed in the fourth set, pulling away to a 23-13 lead before coasting to a 25-22 win.
    Freshman Abbi Gillson and junior Olivia Baumhoer led the Hilltopper attack. Gillson finished with a team- and career-high 14 kills while Baumhoer added 13 kills and 5 blocks. Renee Lemke had a double-double with 24 assists and 15 digs while Kendall Souder matched Lemke with 24 assists.
    Kailee Cunningham added 18 digs while Caitlin Clarke and Madison Clayton combined for 11 kills, 8 service aces and 4 blocks. Stephanie Leonard checked off a lot of boxes with 6 kills, 6 assists and a match-high 6 blocks.
    The West Liberty women hit the road on Tuesday with a 6 p.m. match against Notre Dame in South Euclid, Ohio.