WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. - The West Liberty University volleyball team earned a 4-set victory over Pitt-Johnstown this evening in its home opener.

The Hilltoppers improve their season record to 5-4 after winning sets one, three, and four over the Mountain Cats.

10-of-12 points were won by West Liberty in the early stages of set one to take a 13-7 lead. Pitt-Johnstown battled back to tie it at 15. Then, the Hilltoppers answered with five consecutive points on their way to a 25-20 opening set victory.

The Mountain Cats edged out a 25-22 set two victory, but West Liberty fired right back in set three. The Hilltoppers broke out to a commanding 16-5 lead in the third frame and rolled to a 9-point win.

In set four a 15-15 tie was broken by a 7-2 run by the Black and Gold to go up 22-17. Nina Billotto sealed the deal with a kill, her 10th of the match.

Riley Cudnik paced a balanced attack of three Hilltoppers that recorded double-digit kills with 11. Billotto and Leah Driscoll added 10 apiece. Haley Zeck dished a match-high 30 assists to the Black and Gold attackers.

Strong defense held Pitt-Johnstown to a .053 hitting percentage and stymied them to a negative percentage in sets one and three. Ruby Countryman led all players with five blocks, while Nyia Setla controlled the back line with 23 digs for the Hilltoppers.

West Liberty will host the Atlantic Region Crossover this weekend, which will feature four games for the Black and Gold. First up is a 1 pm matchup with Shippensburg on Friday at 1 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.


Postgame Interview with Coach Schenk ↓