West Liberty, W.Va. – The West Liberty University volleyball team is set for a key MEC North Division match early in the conference schedule as they host Fairmont State on Friday evening. The Hilltoppers and Falcons are set for a 7 p.m. first serve in the ASRC.

GAME DETAILS

• Location: West Liberty, W.Va. (ASRC "Academic Sports & Recreation Complex")
• First Serve: 7 P.M.

WEST LIBERTY STORYLINES

• West Liberty enters Friday's match with a record of 12-4 (2-0 MEC) on the season following 3-1 win at home against Notre Dame. The Hilltoppers are currently in sole possession of first place in the MEC North Division.
• Junior, libero Nyia Setla claimed her third MEC Defensive Player of the Week honor through only four weeks of the season thus far on Monday afternoon. She tallied 27 digs in the win over the Golden Eagles last Friday to record her 15^th double-digit dig game of the year and eighth of 20 or more.
• Through 16 matches this season WLU is hitting .196 while averaging 12.0 kills, 11.2 assists, 1.6 aces, 16.4 digs, and 1.6 blocks per set.
• As a team, West Liberty ranks within the top-2 of NCAA Division II in four statistical categories, ranking first in the country in total attacks (2,241), and second in total assists (736), total digs (1,084), and total kills (794).
• Katelynn Fritz and Ashley Cudnik lead the attack for West Liberty, totaling 166 and 125 kills on the season and averaging 2.63 and 2.60 kills per set respectively.
• Freshman Dakoda Keni has been among the top setters in the country throughout the early portion of the season, having tallied 488 assists which is third in the MEC and is 25^th nationally. Keni has the second most total assists by a freshman in DII this season and has been averaging 7.39 assists per set.
• Bella Dart leads the Black & Gold at the service line, recording 28 service aces on the season which is 19^th in DII and is second in the conference. Dart is averaging 0.46 aces per set. Setla is second on the team, adding 23 aces on the year.
• Setla, the leader of the West Liberty defense, has collected 328 digs on the season, which is the most in the MEC and second in NCAA Division II. She is also second in the conference and 39^th nationally with 4.97 digs per set.
• Grace Hill leads the Hilltoppers at the net, totaling 45.0 blocks while ranking third in the conference, and is averaging 0.87 blocks per set. Page Gross has added 31.0 blocks and is averaging 0.61 blocks per set.
• Riley Jarrett is in her fourth season as the head coach at West Liberty with a career record of 61-34 with the Hilltoppers.

FAIRMONT STATE STORYLINES

• Fairmont State enters Friday's match with a record of 7-9 (1-1 MEC) on the season following a 3-2 loss at home against Wheeling. The Falcons are currently tied for second in the MEC North Division.
• Through 16 matches this season FSU is hitting .186 while averaging 12.3 kills, 11.4 assists, 1.4 aces, 17.4 digs, and 2.1 blocks per set.
• The Falcons rank within the top-10 in four statistical categories in NCAA Division II, ranking fourth in total digs (1,029) and total attacks (2,263), eighth in total assists (673), and ninth in total blocks (123.0).
• Joey Borelle leads the Falcon attack with 196 total kills and 3.32 per set, hitting .196 on the year. She ranks fourth nationally with 647 total attacks, 24^th with 10.97 attacks per set, and 27^th in total kills. Ellie Zuro is second on the team with 3.21 kills per set and 170 total kills, hitting .237 on the season.
• Jaianna Bouarouy and Kelsie Dangerfield each have tallied over 200 assists this season, with 347 and 229 respectively. Bouarouy is averaging 5.88 assists per set while Dangerfield averages 3.88 assists per set.
• At the service line Josie Skinn leads the team with 16 service aces, averaging 0.27 per set. Natalie Zemba is a close second with 15 aces and a 0.28 per set average.
• Skinn is also one of the top liberos nationally, ranking third in DII with 323 total digs and 14^th with 5.47 digs per set. She ranks second and first respectively in the MEC in each. Earlier this season she recorded the most digs in a 5-set match in DII this season with 46 in a win over Roberts Wesleyan.
• At the net, Emma Ludwig is one of the top players in DII in blocks, notching 62.0 total blocks for tenth nationally and an average of 1.07 per set. She ranks first and second respectively in the conference.
• Former West Liberty volleyball assistant, Travis Hinkle, is in his third season as the head coach at Fairmont State with a record of 57-25 during his time with the Falcons. He is now in his sixth season overall as a head coach in collegiate women's volleyball, having previously spent three seasons at Notre Dame, and holds a career record of 100-61 during his time with FSU and NDC. He earned his 100^th career victory in a sweep of Glenville State in the MEC opener on September 22.

SERIES HISTORY

• Since 2010 Fairmont State holds an 18-5 series lead, winning four of the last five meetings.
• The Falcons swept the Hilltoppers in the 2022 regular season, winning 3-0 in the ASRC on September 27 and winning 3-2 in Fairmont on November 1.