FAIRMONT, W.Va. - The West Liberty University volleyball team dropped a 3-0 decision to Fairmont State Tuesday night in Mountain East Conference North Division action at Joe Retton Arena.
    Coach Riley Schenk's Hilltoppers (6-3) found themselves facing an early deficit as the host Falcons (7-2) came storming muscled their way to quick wins in the first two sets by scores of 25-13 and 25-18.
    The Black and Gold regained their footing somewhat in the third set as the teams traded leads throughout. Fairmont reeled off three straight points to get to match point at 24-21 but back-to-back kills by Maddie Clayton and a Kaija Sydlowski kill pulled West Liberty even at 24-24.
    The Falcons had the answer, however, completing the sweep with a 26-24 win off kills from Julia DiPaola and Amelia Moore.
    Emily Reedy led WLU with 7 kills and 13 digs while Sydlowski added 6 kills on a difficult night that saw the visitors total just 28 kills with 23 errors in 117 attacks for a disappointing .043 hitting percentage. Renee Lemke and Kirsten Bogunovich had 13 and 12 assists, respectively, while Nyia Setla had a team-high 15 digs and 2 service aces.
    The Hilltoppers close out the regular season at home on Friday with a 7 p.m. match against No. 15-ranked Wheeling.