CEDARVILLE, Ohio – The West Liberty University women's volleyball team came up just short in a five-set thriller Friday morning, dropping a 3-2 decision to Saginaw Valley State in the opening match of the Cedarville Invitational.

Set scores were 25-20, 21-25, 26-24, 18-25, 15-11 in favor of the Cardinals (3-2), as the Hilltoppers (2-4) rallied to force a decisive fifth set before coming up just shy.

West Liberty's balanced attack was led by Amira DuPree, who finished with a team-high 13 kills to go along with 14 digs and two aces for a strong all-around effort. Liv McAtee (11 kills) and Ashley Cudnik (10 kills, 18 digs, 3 blocks) also hit double figures offensively. Setter Dakoda Keni dished out 27 assists while Olivia Beldean added 16.

Defensively, the Hilltoppers held Saginaw Valley to a .099 hitting percentage for the match, highlighted by a dominant fourth set where the Cardinals posted more errors (15) than kills (12). Adrienne Staib (7 blocks) and Grace Hill (5 blocks) anchored the net defense, while libero Bella Dart led all Hilltoppers with 23 digs.

Despite the defensive effort, Saginaw Valley's offense found enough answers behind Chloe Vanwinkle (17 kills) and Rachel Townsend (16 kills, 26 digs). Setter Jackie Scheiber guided the attack with 52 assists and added a match-high seven service aces.

The fifth set was tightly contested early, but the Cardinals pulled away late with a 5-2 closing run to secure the victory.

West Liberty finished with 54 kills, 84 digs, and 12 blocks, compared to 62 kills, 86 digs, and 5 blocks for Saginaw Valley.