September 6th, 2025 by WCBC Radio
Frostburg State Volleyball team battled in a narrow 3-2 loss to Barton on the first day of the Bulldog Invitational Friday evening. FSU started the match on the front foot, going up 5-1 in the first set thanks to back-to-back kills from sophomore Dani Kunkle and junior Maya Johnson, followed by a sophomore Devin Brunk ace and a pair of blocks by Johnson and junior Paige Mock. The lead grew to 8-3 as Kunkle hit the floor either side of a BC attack error, however the hosts punched back with six of the next seven points to tie things at 9-9. The Bobcats regained some momentum on kills from Johnson and freshman Adele Evans, while Kunkle tacked on an ace to go ahead 13-10. Barton swiftly ended any hopes of a first set deficit, as they went on a 10-1 run to take a commanding 20-14 lead, which they eventually turned into a 25-20 set victory.
The Bulldogs continued their surge into the second frame, moving ahead 8-4 and looking to take a 2-0 lead in the match. Frostburg was able to settle in with scores by Kunkle, Paige, and a pair from junior Grace Yochum, evening the score at 10-10. BC went back up 15-11 thanks to impact transfer Lexi Wasil, then after a quick FSU rally, made things 20-15. A service error helped the Bobcats get back into the set, as Brunk found the floor followed by a Yocham-Evans block for a 20-20 tie. The sides traded two-point rallies before Wasil gave the hosts a 23-22 lead, however Mock and Brunk took over the final three points, getting Frostburg on the board with a 25-23 set win.
BC jumped ahead again in the third set, maintaining a steady advantage up to 13-8. Yocham stopped the run off a feed from redshirt senior Phoebe Lingold, then Mock and graduate Brenna Siperko received passes from sophomore Emery Kuebler to get within 13-12. The Bobcats even managed to take a quick lead after Kunkle and Evans combined on a block, but Barton swiftly answered with five in a row to go back up four. Lingold served up an ace to get within two, but six of the final seven points of the set belonged to the Bulldogs, as they settled to a 25-18 win and put FSU on the brink.
Seeking to keep their hopes alive, Brunk, Kunkle, and Evans combined for four kills and an early 5-3 lead in the fourth. Four straight Barton errors grew the lead to five, as Frostburg continued to keep the Bulldogs at arms' length, as Siperko, Mock, and Kunkle found the floor while Kuebler notched an ace to take a 16-9 advantage. BC was determined not to take part in a fifth set, taking 12 of the next 14 points to stun the Bobcats and move into a 21-18 lead. A serving error ended the surge, as Frostburg took advantage of the mistake, with Yocham getting a pair of kills and Siperko stuffing an attack to tie things at 24-24. Wasil scored to make it match point, but Kunkle responded and Lingold went back-to-back on scoring serves to take the set 27-25 and force a deciding fifth.
Each side went back-and-forth on rallies, with neither team leading by more than two up to a 10-10 draw. Buoyed by their home crowd, BC took full momentum with four consecutive kills to get four shots at match point. Mock was able to hold off one with a kill, but Bailey McIntyre put the match away for the hosts, winning 15-11.
Kunkle led the Bobcat offense with 13 kills, while adding the same amount of digs on the defensive end. Kuebler and Lingold shared the setter role for 43 assists and six aces between the pair. Mock and Evans combined for 13 blocks, while Brunk and Stanton helped out defensively with 14 and 12 digs, respectively.
With the loss, Frostburg begins the year 0-1, while Barton improves to 2-0. FSU concludes their opening weekend with a pair of matches against Newberry and Davis & Elkins, set to occur at 2 and 4 p.m., respectively. Information and updates will be posted to frostburgsports.com.
