SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio - The West Liberty University volleyball team lost its Mountain East Conference opener to Notre Dame, 3-1, this evening on the road.

In a back-and-forth opening set, the Falcons broke a 15-15 tie with five straight points to grab hold late. The Hilltoppers could not get back within three points as Notre Dame took the early 1-0 lead with a 25-20 victory.

West Liberty had a pair of early 5-0 runs in set two, getting off to a 13-7 advantage. The Hilltoppers did not give the lead up after that point on way to a 25-18 win to even the match.

The Falcons led from start to finish in the third set, claiming a 25-14 victory behind a .385 hitting percentage. The home squad kept the momentum rolling into set four, getting out to a 9-1 lead. Facing match point, West Liberty won six consecutive rallies, but the deficit proved to be too much, dropping the fourth set 25-22.

WLU ended the match hitting .181, while NDC posted a .222 hitting percentage. Ruby Countryman was the lone Hilltopper with double-digit kills, at 11, with a .500 hitting percentage.

Nyia Setla had 30 of the team's 69 digs to lead all players in the match.

West Liberty hosts Alderson Broaddus on Friday night inside the ASRC for its first home conference match. First serve is slated for 7 pm.

Follow the Hilltoppers all season online at HilltopperSports.com as well as on Twitter (@WLU_Volleyball | @WLathletics), Instagram (@wlu_volleyball | @wlu_athletics), and Facebook.