September 10th, 2023 by WCBC Radio
The Frostburg State Volleyball team completed their weekend at the Hall of Fame City Tournament, falling to Slippery Rock 3-1, but going on to defeat Roberts Wesleyan 3-1 on Saturday.
Frostburg found themselves down early in game one against Slippery Rock, falling behind 2-0. FSU's first point of the day game from a kill from senior Beverly Braun, who was set up by redshirt senior Hayley Delor. Sophomore Gabriella Jones and senior McKaily Thomson-Moran added points to the board for the Bobcats, each smacking down a kill of their own for Frostburg's first lead of the set. SRU quickly capitalized, scoring five straight points to jump ahead 11-5. The Bobcats took advantage of multiple errors by The Rock, finding themselves back in the game. Junior AJ Thompson got in on the offensive action smacking down a kill, followed by another kill from Braun to bring the game to 14-11. Slippery Rock again regained their offensive momentum, going on another scoring run to lead 17-11. FSU once again took advantage of a duo of errors by SRU, followed by two strong kills from sophomore Amanda Knieper, another kill from Braun, and a service ace from senior Katie Keech, all to get back within one, but were unable to get back in front, dropping the first set 25-19.
SRU took the first point in set two, before the Bobcats earned a point off a service error by The Rock, and a service ace from Braun. Thomson-Moran gave FSU the lead off a kill, before Slippery Rock jumped in front 6-3. Freshman Maddie Lewis knocked down her first kill of the day for a Frostburg point, but SRU was able to stay ahead. The Bobcats were finally able to get something going, scoring back-to-back points with kills from Braun and Lewis to bring the score to 13-11. Slippery Rock responded well, building their lead back up to seven. When they needed it most, Frostburg scored five straight points, with Keech earning a kill, Delor earning a service ace, and Braun being credited with three kills. The Bobcats were able to bring the game to 21-20, but were unable to push ahead, dropping the second set by a close score of 25-21.
Looking to bounce back, FSU opened the third set with three straight points, finding themselves with a 6-1 lead. After earning some points off errors from The Rock, Delor dished two perfect passes to Braun for two more kills and two more points for the Bobcats. With an 11-6 lead, Frostburg kept rolling, as Thompson knocked down a kill off an assist from Delor, while Braun followed with two more kills of her own. Freshman Maya Johnson joined in on the action, knocking down two kills to keep the Bobcats rolling to a 20-13 lead. Junior Phoebe Lingold was credited with a service ace, as a kill from Johnson, Braun, and freshman Paige Mock, followed by another service ace from Delor sealed the deal, allowing Frostburg to stay alive in the match at 25-16. SRU shut down any hope of a comeback, taking an early lead in set four and never looking back, winning 25-15 to take the match with a final of 3-1.
The Bobcats looked to rally back in game two against Roberts Wesleyan, coming from behind in set one, scoring four straight points to jump ahead 7-5 early on. Thompson and Braun kept the scoring going, each being credited with a kill, before Thompson would find herself with back-to-back service aces, followed by a kill from Mock, increasing Frostburg's lead to 13-7. The Red Hawks responded with a scoring run, going on to score five straight points to tie the set up at 16 apiece. The Bobcats quickly regained the lead off a kill from Mock. With the set then tied 19-19, FSU went on to score five straight points of their own, with that being enough for a 25-20 win in set one.
RWU responded in set two, coming out on top of a 25-20 score. Frostburg regained their rhythm in set three, with Braun scoring the Bobcats' first point off an assist from junior Fiona Gonzalez Medina. Both teams took turns scoring and exchanging leads, before another kill by Braun and an ace from Delor put FSU up three at 10-7. Frostburg played tremendous defense while supporting the offense, keeping the lead for the victory. Lewis, Knieper, Braun, and Jones were all credited with kills, while Keech earned herself two more service aces, as Lingold tacked on one more, allowing the Bobcats to hang on for a 25-21 victory in set three.
With a chance to get the job done, FSU came out hot in set four, scoring the first three points. Braun, Jones, Mock, and Knieper were all credited with kills, while Lingold found herself with two more service aces for an 8-3 Bobcat lead. Frostburg remained in front, with Keech once again finding her way to a service ace and Braun with a kill to start a three-point rally, increasing FSU's lead to 13-7. With each team trading points back and forth, the Bobcats went on to tack on five straight points, starting and ending with service aces from freshman Alyssa Stanton. With now a 22-10 lead, Thomson-Moran, Knieper, and Braun each knocked down a kill, with Delor earning three more assists, as FSU was able to take set four 25-19 and the match 3-1.
With another split, Frostburg moves to 4-4 on the season after the conclusion of the tournament. The Bobcats will travel home to Bobcat Arena for their next match, as they host California (Pa.) on Tuesday, September 12 at 7 PM. For more information and updates, please visit frostburgsports.com.
