West Liberty, W.Va. – The West Liberty University volleyball team secured their third consecutive 20 win season with a sweep of Salem in the ASRC on Tuesday night. The Hilltoppers defeated the Tigers with set scores of 25-14, 25-9, and 25-21.
 
QUICK DETAILS
Final Score: West Liberty 3, Salem 0
Team Records: West Liberty 20-7 (8-3 MEC), Salem 3-20
Attendance: 103
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• A 7-3 scoring run with a pair of kills from Page Gross and Grace Hill helped West Liberty gain some separation in the early portion of the first set as they took a 10-6 lead. Salem momentarily was able to cut the lead back to two points at 14-12, however a 6-0 scoring run powered by three kills from Katelynn Fritz pushed the opening frame out of reach for the Tigers, as the Hilltoppers extended the lead to 21-12. WLU then took four of the final five points to secure the opening set, clinching set point on a kill by Leah Driscoll to make it 25-14.
• Reminiscent of the opening set, Salem fought to get off to a good start as the teams were tied at three early on. From that point on an 8-0 scoring run seized control of the second frame for West Liberty as Liv McAtee put down a trio of kills during the run. A bad set by the Tigers pushed the WLU lead to double digits at 15-5 before Salem was momentarily able to cut the deficit back to eight on two occasions. That would be as close as the second set would get as the Black & Gold closed the set on an 8-0 scoring run with Hill clinching the 25-9 win with a kill.
• Despite the rough end to the second set, Salem jumped out to a 5-2 advantage in the third set with a pair of service aces and a trio of kills. West Liberty battled to stay within striking distance as the Tigers maintained a lead as large as three points before a service ace by Dakoda Keni tied the score at nine apiece. A kill by Fritz gave WLU their first lead of the set at 15-14 as part of a 5-1 run to take a 16-14 advantage. Salem was able to keep their composure and regain a one point lead on three occasions, and last led 21-20 before West Liberty scored the final five points of the match to secure the win 25-21.
• West Liberty held the advantage in the match with a 0.313 attack percentage compared to -0.071 for Salem. The Hilltoppers held the edge in points (41-21), kills (35-17), aces (4-3), blocks (2-1), assists (35-17), and digs (38-33).

WEST LIBERTY STATISTICAL LEADERS
Grace Hill: 8 kills, .778 attack percentage, 2 blocks
Leah Driscoll: 8 kills, .350 attack percentage, 1 block, 1 dig
Dakoda Keni: 24 assists, 6 digs, 2 aces
Nyia Setla: 14 digs, 3 assists
 
UP NEXT
West Liberty will go on the road for their next match, traveling to Fairmont State on Friday evening. The Hilltoppers and Falcons are set for a 7 p.m. first serve in Joe Retton Arena.