SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.Va. — West Liberty battled unbeaten Shepherd on Tuesday evening before falling to the Rams, 3-0, at the Butcher Athletic Center by set scores of 25-18, 25-20 and 25-23.
The Hilltoppers served 10 aces and pushed Shepherd throughout the match, including a third set in which West Liberty held a five-point lead late before the Rams rallied for the sweep. Shepherd finished with advantages in kills (43-32), digs (43-28) and hitting percentage (.320-.165).
Sidney Keni led the Hilltoppers with 10 kills while hitting .444 and added a block.
Taylor Speake recorded five service aces and seven digs, while
Dakoda Keni finished with 13 assists and three digs.
Kaelynn Burge added three kills on three attacks while also contributing 10 assists.
West Liberty battled through the opening set before Shepherd pulled away midway through.
Sidney Keni answered several early Shepherd points with kills from
Dakoda Keni, including one that tied the set at 3-3.
Giana Bogunovich and
Julia Birck added kills through the middle portion of the set, while
Adrienne Staib's service ace pulled the Hilltoppers within 12-10.
Shepherd moved in front 20-14, but West Liberty continued to fight. Speake followed with an ace, while
Amira DuPree and
Dakoda Keni added kills to cut the deficit to 20-16. The Rams closed the set with the final five points to take a 25-18 lead.
The Hilltoppers' best opportunity of the second set came when they took a 15-13 advantage.
After the teams battled to a 9-9 tie,
Sidney Keni's kill, a Birck-Burge block and a DuPree kill helped West Liberty move in front 14-11.
Jessa Anderson's kill later extended the lead to 15-13.
Shepherd responded with eight consecutive points to take control at 21-15. The Rams used kills from Amya Davis, a service ace and several West Liberty errors during the run. The Hilltoppers added late kills from Bogunovich,
Sidney Keni and a
DuPree-Staib block, but Shepherd closed out the set, 25-20.
West Liberty saved its strongest push for the third set.
Trailing 7-5, Speake took over from the service line, delivering four straight points that included three aces and a Bogunovich kill set by Burge. The run put the Hilltoppers ahead 9-7.
Shepherd answered with a 7-3 run to regain a 14-12 advantage, but West Liberty responded with blocks from Staib and
Sidney Keni along with two Shepherd attack errors to move back in front, 16-14.
After the Rams tied the set, Birck and DuPree supplied kills before DuPree followed with back-to-back aces. West Liberty built a 20-17 lead and eventually moved in front 23-18 on Speake's fifth ace of the match.
Shepherd, however, closed the match with seven consecutive points to rally for a 25-23 victory and complete the sweep.
The Hilltoppers return home Friday to host the 2026 West Liberty Volleyball Invitational at the Academic, Sports & Recreation Complex.
West Liberty opens tournament play at 10 a.m. Friday against California (Pa.) before facing Clarion at 3 p.m. The Hilltoppers close the weekend Saturday at noon against Gannon and at 5 p.m. against Shippensburg.
All four West Liberty matches will be played 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.
