Ashland, Ohio – It didn't take long for the West Liberty volleyball program to bounce back and get into the win column once again as they swept Central State 3-0 in straight sets on Saturday morning. The Hilltoppers won convincingly in each set, winning by scores of 25-15, 25-13, and 25-14 over the Marauders.
 
QUICK DETAILS
Final Score: West Liberty 3, Central State 0
Team Records: West Liberty 2-1, Central State 0-4
Attendance: 101
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• After trading the first four points of the match, kills by Riley Cudnik and Leah Driscoll sparked a 4-0 scoring run that gave West Liberty the lead for good in set one. Midway through the frame the Hilltoppers used a 7-0 scoring run to extend their lead to double digs at 18-7. While WLU would lead by as many as 12 in the set, Central State used a 6-1 scoring run to cut the lead to seven at 22-15, however a service ace by Ashley Cudnik gave the Black & Gold the 25-15 set win.
• Central State took two of the first three points of set two, however West Liberty responded by taking four of the next five points to take the lead for good once again early in set two. The Hilltoppers used a 9-2 scoring run midway through the set to open up a nine point lead at 17-8. The Marauders were able to momentarily cut the lead back to six with a 4-1 run, but a pair of kills by Grace Hill and service aces by Dakoda Keni and Bella Dart gave the Hilltoppers momentum and ended the set on a 7-1 run to win 25-13.
• West Liberty picked up right where they left off to begin set three with a 6-1 run to seize control immediately. Central State used a 6-2 run to briefly get within one point at 8-7, but the Hilltoppers had an answer as they rallied off ten consecutive points to break open another double-digit lead at 18-7. After trading points back-and-forth the remainder of the set, WLU secured match point with a kill by Hill to win 25-14.
• Dart set a new career-high mark with four service aces in the match, making it her second match of the season of three or more. Nyia Setla reached double-digit digs for the third consecutive match to open the season as she collected 14 against CSU.
• The Hilltoppers held the advantage in the match with a .278 attack percentage while the Marauders hit -0.045. WLU also held the edge in total points (58-23), kills (41-17), aces (10-3), blocks (7-3), assists (37-16), and digs (44-35). 

WEST LIBERTY STATISTICAL LEADERS
Riley Cudnik: 9 kills, .412 attack percentage, 4 blocks, 2 digs
Liv McAtee: 7 kills, .500 attack percentage, 1 dig
Bella Dart: 4 service aces, 7 digs
Dakoda Keni: 18 assists, 3 digs, 1 service ace
Nyia Setla: 14 digs
 
MILESTONES
With 15 assists in the match against Central State, junior setter Haley Zeck reached 1,000 career assists.
 
UP NEXT
West Liberty will wrap up their first weekend of play this afternoon with a match against New Haven. The Hilltoppers and Chargers are set for a 4:30 p.m. first serve in Kates Gymnasium.