Fairmont, W.Va. – The West Liberty University volleyball team secured the season sweep of Fairmont State on Friday night, with a 3-1 win in a battle of teams under consideration in the recently released NCAA Atlantic Region Rankings. The Hilltoppers downed the Falcons 22-25, 25-23, 25-19, and 25-23 to notch their first win against FSU in Joe Retton Arena since October 18, 2016.
 
QUICK DETAILS
Final Score: West Liberty 3, Fairmont State 1
Team Records: West Liberty 21-7 (9-3 MEC), Fairmont State 15-14 (7-6 MEC)
Attendance: 218
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• A pair of kills by Leah Driscoll and a service ace from Dakoda Keni helped West Liberty grab the early 3-1 lead to open the match. Fairmont State momentarily tied it up at three apiece, however the Hilltopper pushed ahead with a 6-1 scoring run to lead 9-4. The Falcons responded quickly to the five point deficit as they strung together seven straight points to take their first lead of the night. The teams continued to battle back-and-forth throughout the middle of the set, with the lead exchanging hands twice en route to a tie at 22 all. Fairmont State clinched the opening set win 25-22 by scoring the final three points of the frame.
• Fairmont State took the first two points of set number two, but West Liberty quickly tied it back up at three apiece following a pair of kills by Liv McAtee. A block by Page Gross capped a 4-0 scoring run to extend the Hilltopper lead to 9-5, however the Falcons responded with a 7-1 rally to gain a 12-10 advantage.  The teams exchanged the lead three more times in the second frame but WLU would not trail after regaining an 18-17 lead on a kill by Katelynn Fritz. The Hilltoppers and Falcons traded the final seven points of the frame, but a Fairmont service error gave the Black & Gold a 25-23 set win.
• Just like the end of set two, the teams opened set three by trading the first ten points back-and-forth en route to an early 5-5 tie. Fairmont State briefly took a two point lead at 11-9 with a mini 4-1 scoring rally, but West Liberty took the lead for good when a 5-0 scoring run powered by a pair of kills by McAtee gave them a 14-11 lead. Later on a service ace by Keni gave the Black & Gold their largest lead of the frame at six and once again a pair of McAtee kills helped WLU score four of the final five points for a 25-19 set win.
• Fairmont State took the early 3-1 advantage in set four, but West Liberty responded with a 5-2 scoring run to grab a 6-5 advantage following kills by Gross and Keni. The Falcons briefly regained the lead at 11-9 however the Hilltoppers never trailed the remainder of the match following a block by Gross at 13-12. Gross' block sparked an 8-3 scoring run to extend the lead to five at 20-15 after another kill by Keni. FSU tied the set one final time at 20 apiece with a 5-0 scoring run but the Black & Gold stifled the momentum with a kill by McAtee. West Liberty clinched the match win with a kill by Fritz, securing a 25-23 victory.
• West Liberty held the advantage in the match with a .211 attack percentage compared to .182 for Fairmont State. The Hilltoppers also held the advantage in points (73-61), kills (59-44), aces (7-4), and assists (54-42) while the Falcons held the edge in blocks (13-7). The teams were even with 64 digs apiece.
• McAtee posted a career-high 16 kills in the win, notching her ninth double digit kill performance of the season and fourth in the last five matches.
• With 12 digs and ten kills, Fritz collected her 13^th double-double of the year.
• Keni recorded her fifth 40+ assist match of 2023 with 47 on the night, which also propelled her to becoming the new single-season assists record holder at West Liberty.
• Nyia Setla secured her 12^th match of the year with 20 or more digs, with 21 on the night.

WEST LIBERTY STATISTICAL LEADERS
Liv McAtee: 16 kills, .256 attack percentage, 3 total blocks
Leah Driscoll: 13 kills, 5 digs, 2 assists
Katelynn Fritz: 12 digs, 10 kills, .233 attack percentage
Dakoda Keni: 47 assists, 7 digs, 6 kills, 2 service aces
Nyia Setla: 21 digs, 3 assists, 2 service aces
 
UP NEXT
West Liberty will return to the ASRC for one final home match against Frostburg State on Monday night as the 2023 regular season enters the final week of play. The Hilltoppers and Bobcats are set for a 7 p.m. first serve.