WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. – The West Liberty University volleyball team celebrated Senior Day in impressive style here Saturday afternoon, rolling to its fifth consecutive win with a convincing 3-0 sweep of Fairmont State before a large crowd at the ASRC.
Six senior standouts –
Olivia Baumhoer,
Caitlin Clarke,
Kailee Cunningham,
Morgan Farley,
Jo Lyn Jurek and
Mackenzie Sims – were honored in Senior Day ceremonies prior to the match and Coach
Kayla Mull's Hilltoppers (15-11, 7-4) got right to work.
The Falcons (11-14, 4-7) kept things interesting through the first two sets as the lead switched hands multiple times only to see West Liberty take control down the stretch each time.
Fairmont pulled even, 21-21, late in the opening set but the hosts rallied to score four of the final six points and claim a 25-23 decision. The visitors led by as many as five points midway through the second set but couldn't hold off another late WLU surge as the hosts reeled off the final four points to snap a 21-21 tie and take a commanding 2-0 lead with a 25-21 win.
The Black and Gold took care of business quickly in the third set, jetting out to a 7-2 lead and pulling away to close up shop with a 25-15 victory. It was the third consecutive sweep for Coach Mull and her Lady Hilltoppers, who have now won 15 of their last 16 sets to take over fifth place in the MEC.
Junior Maddie Clayton had another dominant performance at the net for West Liberty. The 6-5 middle blocker led all players with 12 kills on 19 attacks with no attack errors for a sizzling .632 hitting percentage. Sims just missed a double-double with 9 kills and 13 digs while Baumhoer added 8 kills and Clarke finished with 7 kills and 9 digs.
Renee Lemke posted a double-double of 26 assists and 11 digs,
Kendall Souder added 15 assists and Cunningham and Jurek finished with 14 and 10 digs, respectively.
The WLU women go back on the road Tuesday for an important MEC match against fellow contender Notre Dame (Ohio). First serve is set for 6 p.m. in South Euclid, Ohio.
