Charleston, W.Va. – Playing in their sixth 5-set match of the season, the West Liberty University volleyball outlasted Charleston 3-2 to win their first Mountain East Conference opener since 2018 on Friday night. The Hilltoppers downed the Golden Eagles with set scores of 17-25, 25-21, 25-14, 21-25, and 18-16.
 
QUICK DETAILS
Final Score: West Liberty 3, Charleston 2
Team Records: West Liberty 11-4 (1-0 MEC), Charleston 7-6 (0-1 MEC)
Attendance: 145
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Charleston took control of the opening set with an early 8-2 scoring run to push their lead to 13-5. West Liberty was able to cut the Golden Eagle lead to four on two occasions with a service ace from Page Gross (18-14) and a Kill by Liv McAtee (19-15), but that would be the closest they would get as UC took six of the eight points to win the set 25-17.
• Three Charleston errors and a kill by Katelynn Fritz helped West Liberty to an early 4-0 advantage in set two. The Golden Eagles responded with a 8-4 scoring run to tie the set, however they would not lead in the frame. A kill by Grace Hill put the Hilltoppers back up 18-13 before UC made one last push, using a 6-2 scoring run to get back within one at 20-19. The Black & Gold took five of the final seven points to secure the set two win at 25-21.
• Charleston's only lead of set three came with a kill on the first point of the frame to go up 1-0, but a pair of McAtee kills led a 4-1 response for West Liberty to take a 4-2 advantage. Following a 7-7 tie the Hilltoppers began to break open the set with a 7-1 scoring run to go up 14-8. The Golden Eagles answered with three consecutive points to get back within 14-11, but the Black & Gold pushed their lead to 11 on a 9-1 scoring run that featured four kills by Ashley Cudnik. A kill by Leah Driscoll put the set away for WLU with a 25-14 win.
• West Liberty once again jumped out to an early lead in set four, taking a 6-3 lead on a McAtee kill. The teams then traded the next four points back-and-forth before Charleston used a 9-2 scoring run to gain a 14-10 lead, their largest lead since the opening set. A 4-1 Hilltopper rally brought them within one, however UC regained the momentum with a 6-2 run to take a 21-16 advantage. The Black & Gold put together one last push to try and win the match in four as they used a 5-2 scoring run to bring the set within 23-21, but Charleston closed the frame with back-to-back kills from Sage Bearnson to win 25-21.
• West Liberty took the momentum first in set five as they scored the first four points on kills by Fritz and McAtee to go along with a pair of Charleston errors. The Golden Eagles responded with a 6-2 scoring run to tie the set at six. The Hilltoppers momentarily took an 8-6 advantage, but UC took six of the next seven points to go up 12-9 and swing the momentum in their favor. WLU kept their composure while trailing late and responded with a 5-1 rally to regain a 14-13 lead. The teams traded the next five points before West Liberty won set five and the match with a kill from Cudnik and a UC attack error to win the frame 18-16.
• West Liberty held the advantage in the match with a .246 attack percentage compared to .228 for Charleston, while also holding the edge in blocks (7-5) and digs (87-84). The Golden Eagles held the advantage in points (76-72), kills (61-56), aces (10-9), and assists (56-55).
• McAtee set a career-high with 15 kills in the match while reaching double-digit kills for the third time this season. Her .412 attack percentage was a career-best when reaching ten or more kills.
• Cudnik reached double-digit kills for the seventh time this season and posted her first career double-double in the win with a career-high of 17 digs.
• Dakoda Keni posted her 15^th double-digit assist game of the season, reaching 30+ assists for the seventh time this year and sixth time in the last seven matches.
• Nyia Setla collected her 15^th double-digit game of the year, reaching 20+ digs for the eighth time this season and fifth time in the last six matches.
• Gross tallied a season-high of six blocks in the win, coming up one short of a career-high set during her freshman season at Robert Morris.
• West Liberty improved to 5-1 in 5-set matches on the year.

WEST LIBERTY STATISTICAL LEADERS
Liv McAtee: 15 kills, .412 attack percentage, 6 digs, 3 blocks
Ashley Cudnik: 13 kills, .243 attack percentage, 17 digs, 1 block
Dakoda Keni: 33 assists, 13 digs, 2 service aces
Nyia Setla: 27 digs, 4 assists, 1 service ace
 
UP NEXT
West Liberty will play their MEC home opener next Tuesday (September 26), as they welcome Notre Dame to the ASRC. The Hilltoppers and Falcons are scheduled for a 7 p.m. first serve.