WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. — West Liberty closed its regular season Thursday night with a five-set loss to Wheeling at the ASRC, falling 3-2 by scores of 25-23, 30-28, 22-25, 21-25 and 10-15. The Hilltoppers finish the regular season at 10-20 overall and 9-7 in Mountain East Conference play, while Wheeling improves to 18-10 and 12-4 in the MEC.
West Liberty took control early, winning the first two sets before Wheeling rallied to claim the final three. The Hilltoppers finished with a 67-58 advantage in kills and served nine aces to Wheeling's five. West Liberty also collected 105 digs, one more than the Cardinals, but Wheeling held the edge in hitting percentage (.168 to .116) and total blocks (9-7).
Amira DuPree led the Hilltoppers with 18 kills and 28 digs, adding two service aces and 20 points. Staib contributed 13 kills while hitting .429 and finished with five blocks and 18 points. Keni directed the offense with 55 assists, four service aces and 12 digs, while
Taylor Speake collected 30 digs and added five assists.
West Liberty opened the match with a 25-23 victory in the first set, converting set point on a
Julia Birck kill off a Keni assist. The Hilltoppers jumped out to a 4-0 lead, but Wheeling worked its way back and eventually moved in front, 19-18. DuPree tied the score, and late kills from Staib,
Giana Bogunovich and Birck helped West Liberty close out the set.
The Hilltoppers then took a 2-0 lead with a 30-28 win in the second set. After trailing 20-16, West Liberty fought back to tie the score at 23 on a Bogunovich kill. Staib put the Hilltoppers ahead 29-28 with a kill from Keni, and Keni followed with a service ace to secure the set.
Wheeling began its comeback in the third set, overcoming an early deficit and building a 16-6 advantage. West Liberty made a late push, scoring four consecutive points on
Jessa Anderson's serve to trim the margin from 21-13 to 21-17. DuPree supplied three kills during the stretch, all off Keni assists, and Keni added an ace as the Hilltoppers continued to battle. Wheeling held on for a 25-22 win.
West Liberty carried that momentum into the fourth set, turning a one-point deficit into a 7-4 lead with help from kills by Birck and Bogunovich following a Staib block. The Hilltoppers later erased a 15-12 deficit, with another Staib block and kills from Bogunovich and
Sidney Keni helping bring the score even. Bogunovich added back-to-back kills to give West Liberty an 18-17 advantage, but Wheeling closed the set with an 8-3 run to force a deciding fifth set, 25-21.
The Hilltoppers responded to an early 7-3 deficit in the fifth set with four straight points to tie the score at 7-7.
Ava Trentman delivered back-to-back kills off Keni assists, and Anderson added a service ace during the run. Wheeling answered with four consecutive points to take an 11-7 lead. DuPree added three late kills, all assisted by Keni, but the Cardinals finished off the match with a 15-10 decision.
The match also marked Senior Night for West Liberty, as the Hilltoppers recognized seniors
Dakoda Keni and
Adrienne Staib before the contest.
West Liberty now turns its attention to the Mountain East Conference Tournament. The Hilltoppers will travel to Fairmont State on Wednesday for their tournament opener.
