Erie, Pa. – The West Liberty University volleyball team ended the season in the first round of the NCAA Division II Volleyball Tournament for the second consecutive season as they fell to the hosts, No. 25 Gannon, 3-0 on Thursday night. The Golden Knights advanced in the regional with 25-12, 25-14, and 25-15 set wins in the Highmark Events Center. After battling through adversity during the season, the Hilltoppers finished the season tied for the fourth most wins in program history and their third consecutive year of reaching 20 or more victories.
 
QUICK DETAILS
Final Score: West Liberty 0, No. 25 Gannon 3
Team Records: West Liberty 23-10 (10-4 MEC), Gannon 27-4 (14-2 PSAC)
Attendance: 300
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Gannon opened the match with an 8-0 scoring run, including five service aces, before a kill from Katelynn Fritz got West Liberty on the scoreboard. The kill helped the Hilltopper take four of the next six points to cut the deficit to 10-4. The Golden Knights pushed the lead to double digits at 17-7 before Fritz was able to put another kill down to momentarily bring the set back within nine points. GU ended the opening frame by scoring five of the final six points to win 25-12. Gannon hit .407 in the first set compared to .040 for West Liberty.
• A block by Grace Hill and a pair of kills from Leah Driscoll helped push West Liberty in front 5-3 to open the second set. Gannon, however, quickly responded to take five of the next six points and regain the lead at 8-6. GU extended the scoring run to 18-5 and pushed the lead to double digits with the score being 21-10. A kill by Driscoll started a rally of three consecutive points for the Hilltoppers to draw within eight points late, but Gannon closed the frame with four of the final five points to win 25-14. The Golden Knights hit .205 in the set compared to .000 for the Hilltoppers.
• Gannon opened the third set with three consecutive points before West Liberty took three of the next four points as Liv McAtee put down a pair of kills and Hill added one. The Golden Knights responded by scoring five consecutive points and built up an 11-5 advantage. The Hilltoppers went on a 5-1 scoring run to cut the deficit to two points and force a GU timeout, as Fritz and Driscoll each recorded a kill during the run. Gannon quickly regrouped out of the timeout and ended the match with a 15-5 scoring run as they clinched third frame with a 25-15 win. The Golden Knights hit .353 in the set while the Hilltoppers hit .125 with 11 kills, both their most in a set during the night.
• Gannon held the advantage in the match with a .310 attack percentage compared to .060 for West Liberty. The Golden Knights also held the edge in points (61-25), kills (43-24), aces (9-0), blocks (9-1), assists (42-24), digs (49-41).

WEST LIBERTY STATISTICAL LEADERS
Liv McAtee: 9 kills, .217 attack percentage, 1 dig
Katelynn Fritz: 8 digs, 7 kills, 1 assist
Leah Driscoll: 7 kills, .154 attack percentage, 2 digs
Dakoda Keni: 22 assists, 8 digs
Bella Dart 9 digs

POST GAME PRESS CONFERENCE (HEAD COACH RILEY JARRETT, LIV MCATEE, AND KATELYNN FRITZ)