WLU-WVWC Score Sheet (2/6/20)

    WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. – The West Liberty University Acrobatics and Tumbling squad got its season off to a flying start here Thursday with a record-setting 254.57-247.37 victory against West Virginia Wesleyan in Mountain East Conference action at the ASRC.
    It was an impressive debut for first-year Hilltopper head coach Kelsey Kyle as her youthful Hilltoppers' final total of 254.57 points blew away the previous school standard of 246.695 match points, set just last year in the final match of the regular season against Gannon (Pa.)
    "I couldn't have asked for more from my team," Kyle said. "They've worked incredibly hard preparing for this night and they really stepped up. I'm so happy for them to see their efforts rewarded like this."
    The visiting Bobcats were able to keep things close in the early going, trailing by less than a point at intermission, but the Black and Gold prevailed in all three second-half events to win going away.
    West Liberty eked out a narrow 26.15-25.25 victory in the Toss event when action resumed but Wesleyan remained within striking distance heading into the two biggest scoring events of the match - Tumbling and Team.
    "I thought our individual tumbling passes were incredible tonight," Kyle said. "Theresa (Evangelista), Mareena (Scalia) and Lexus (Ficca) absolutely went above and beyond what we asked of them and it really helped open things up."
    Thanks to their talented trio, the Hilltoppers posted a significant 51.05-48.55 victory margin after the six Tumbling heats had been tallied. It was the first time in program history that West Liberty had cracked the 50-point barrier in the Tumbling event.
    Now sitting on a much more comfortable 4 1/2-point lead, the Hilltoppers finished with a flourish by winning the Team event in convincing fashion, 88.67-85.82. The 88.67 points are a WLU school record for the Team event, as well.
    While she was certainly pleased to see her team come away with a resounding victory in the season opener, Kyle had a ready answer when asked how long she planned to enjoy Thursday's win.
    "Until practice tomorrow," she said with a smile. "Seriously, though, we're happy with the win but we're never going to stop working to get better. We'll look at the tape from tonight, identify things we need to shore up and get ready for our next match."
    That next match is a much-anticipated Feb. 15 trip to defending MEC champion Fairmont State - Kyle's alma mater - for what could be the match of the year in the conference. The Falcons were picked No. 1 again in the MEC's preseason coaches' poll but West Liberty checked in as a strong No. 2 with a pair of first-place votes.
    There's no lack of storylines surrounding that matchup as Kyle played a major role in leading FSU to a Top 10 national ranking and NCATA Tournament bid last spring as a senior All-MEC standout and the 2019 MEC Specialist of the Year.
    "There's no doubt it's going to be a memorable day," Kyle said. "I'll be coaching against girls I competed with, girls I won championships with a year ago. It will be a terrific challenge but we're definitely looking forward to it."