BUCKHANNON, W.Va. — The West Liberty University volleyball team closed out a hard-fought Mountain East Conference victory Saturday, defeating West Virginia Wesleyan 3-1 at Rockefeller Center. The Hilltoppers won by set scores of 25-22, 26-28, 25-18 and 28-26.
West Liberty finished with 53 kills, 11 service aces and 13 total blocks while hitting .273 for the match. West Virginia Wesleyan recorded 59 kills and hit .257 but managed just four blocks and five aces. The Hilltoppers made the difference with timely serving and blocking, particularly during crucial stretches of the opening and fourth sets.
Giana Bogunovich led West Liberty with 13 kills and added three blocks.
Julia Birck contributed 10 kills while hitting .625 and finished with eight total blocks. Setter
Dakoda Keni recorded 34 assists, 12 digs, six kills and two service aces.
Adrienne Staib added nine kills while hitting .500, along with five total blocks and two aces.
The Hilltoppers established an early advantage in the opening set by turning an 11-9 lead into a 14-9 cushion. A block from Staib and
Sidney Keni, followed by back-to-back service aces from
Dakoda Keni, helped fuel the run. West Virginia Wesleyan fought back to within 24-22, but a service error gave West Liberty the 25-22 win.
West Liberty appeared poised to take the second set after building a 22-18 lead, but the Bobcats responded with four consecutive points to even the score. The teams traded points through extra play before West Virginia Wesleyan secured a 28-26 victory to even the match at one set apiece.
The Hilltoppers responded in the third, turning an early 4-3 deficit into an 8-5 lead. Bogunovich helped spark the run, while
Dakoda Keni put West Liberty in front and Staib added a service ace. West Liberty maintained control behind a steady attack and closed the set on a Bogunovich kill off a
Dakoda Keni assist for a 25-18 win.
The fourth set featured another late West Liberty surge. Trailing 19-18, the Hilltoppers used a
Dakoda Keni kill, a service ace from
Amira DuPree, a
Sidney Keni kill and two block-assisted attack errors by the Bobcats to move ahead 23-20.
West Virginia Wesleyan rallied to tie the set at 24-24 and again at 26-26, but West Liberty delivered the final two points. Following a Bobcat service error, DuPree finished a
Dakoda Keni assist to seal the 28-26 set victory and clinch the match.
The Hilltoppers return home next Friday, Oct. 16, to host Shawnee State at the ASRC.
West Liberty University blends a small-town environment with a comprehensive college experience, fostering students' aspirations through hands-on learning, personalized support, and unique academic programs at both undergraduate and graduate levels. Learn more at
westliberty.edu.
