FAIRMONT, W.Va. — The West Liberty University volleyball team saw its season come to a close Wednesday with a 3-1 loss to Glenville State in the opening round of the Mountain East Conference Tournament at Joe Retton Arena. The Hilltoppers dropped the match by set scores of 13-25, 26-24, 18-25 and 12-25.
West Liberty (10-21, 9-7 MEC) rallied from a five-point deficit to claim the second set, but Glenville State (18-12, 9-7 MEC) controlled the remaining sets to advance in the conference tournament.
The Hilltoppers finished with 38 kills and a .125 hitting percentage, while the Pioneers recorded 59 kills and hit .306. West Liberty stayed competitive at the net, finishing with a 7.5-7.0 advantage in team blocks.
Adrienne Staib led the Hilltoppers at the net with eight kills on a .438 hitting percentage and five block assists.
Sidney Keni added a team-high nine kills.
Dakoda Keni recorded 32 assists, nine digs and three kills. She finishes her career with a school record 3,456 assists and 1,076 digs, she is the only player in program history with more than 3,000 career assists and 1,000 career digs.
Taylor Speake paced the defensive effort with 14 digs.
Glenville State took the opening set, 25-13, after building an early advantage. The Hilltoppers briefly held a 2-1 lead on a
Giana Bogunovich kill off a
Dakoda Keni assist, but the Pioneers used a stretch of scoring to move from an 8-5 lead to 12-5. West Liberty added kills from
Sidney Keni and a block from
Julia Birck and Staib, but Glenville State closed the set with the final five points.
The Hilltoppers answered with their strongest stretch of the match in the second set. Trailing 21-16, West Liberty put together a six-point run to take a 22-21 lead. Staib served through the stretch, while
Sidney Keni supplied two kills and
Ava Trentman and Bogunovich teamed up for a block. Trentman and Bogunovich later combined on another block to put the Hilltoppers in front.
After Glenville State fought back to tie the set at 24-24, Trentman delivered a kill to give West Liberty set point. A Pioneers attack error secured the 26-24 victory and evened the match at one set apiece.
Glenville State regained control in the third set, breaking a 14-14 tie with a four-point run. Trentman and Staib added kills as West Liberty tried to close the gap, while an
Amira DuPree kill made it 22-18. The Pioneers scored the final three points to take the set, 25-18.
The Hilltoppers opened the fourth set facing a 5-0 deficit but responded with three consecutive kills from Staib, Bogunovich and
Sidney Keni, all assisted by
Dakoda Keni, to pull within 5-3. Glenville State gradually extended its advantage, moving ahead 18-8 before closing out the match with a 25-12 fourth-set win.
West Liberty finished the season 10-21.
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.
