October 21st, 2023 by WCBC Radio
WVWC took the upper hand to begin the match, going up 6-2 in the early stages of set one. Sophomore Amanda Knieper and senior Beverly Braun provided the offense for FSU, combining for four kills to get back within 9-7. Wesleyan hit right back, scoring seven of the next eight points for a commanding 16-8 lead. Frostburg was able to pull their way back again, cutting the deficit to three as Braun and Knieper found the floor again, while senior McKaily Thomson-Moran tacked on three more at 19-16. The hosts would quickly turn away any hope of an FSU comeback, scoring four in a row that helped them to a 25-19 set victory.
The sides played toe-to-toe in the second set, with neither team leading by more than two up to an 8-8 tie. It would be Wesleyan again to take the initial momentum, using an 8-1 run to go up 14-9 in search of a two-set lead. Frostburg was able to find a response, scoring six of the next eight points to get within 16-15, as Thomson-Moran and Knieper each found the floor while senior Hayley Delor and freshman Alyssa Stanton served up a pair of aces. The run helped kick-start continued FSU pressure, as Delor combined with junior AJ Thompson on a block, with the latter adding a pair of kills alongside Knieper and Braun, while senior Jenna Gossard added an ace to put Frostburg ahead 22-18. Wesleyan would fight back, fending off a pair of set points after a Delor-Thomson-Moran block, but an error gave Frostburg the narrow set win to tie the match.
Set three began as another back-and-forth contest, as the teams traded early points up to a 6-6 tie. This time it would be FSU to take the first bit of momentum, as Thomson-Moran and Knieper put down kills either side of a combined block between Thompson and freshman Maddie Lewis to lead 10-6. WVWC battled back, using a pair of aces and three kills to pull back within 15-13. A service error helped give Frostburg a four-point run, which included a Lewis kill, Braun ace, and Thomson-Moran-Knieper block for a 19-13 advantage. As they had in the previous set, Wesleyan wasn't going to allow FSU to easily take the set, scoring five of the next six points to make it a 20-18 score. Lewis, Braun, and Knieper swiftly put any notion of a WVWC comeback to rest with three straight kills, then Thompson and Delor stuffed an attack, allowing Braun to close out the set with a kill to win 25-20.
Frostburg looked to close out the match in the fourth set, scoring the first five points on a trio of Braun kills and a block with Thomson-Moran. Desperate to keep the match alive and force a fifth set, Wesleyan went on a tear, outscoring FSU 14-6 to take a shock 14-11 lead. Thompson helped Frostburg find their feet again, putting down a kill and a pair of aces to regain a narrow 15-14 lead. In a run that neither team wanted to lose, both sides went back-and-forth up to a 20-19 FSU lead, trying to pull away but always seeing a response from WVWC. Thompson continued her impressive set, knocking down back-to-back FSU kills to go up 22-20, then Braun polished off the hard-fought victory with three kills for the 25-21 set win.
Braun was a force offensively, pouring in a match-high 21 kills while hitting .302. Knieper (11) also finished in double-digits, while Thomson-Moran and Thompson combined for 17 kills, with the former hitting a match-high .444. Delor made her presence known on both sides of the court, supplying 43 assists while coming up with 14 digs and five blocks defensively, tying Thompson in the latter category for the match lead.
With the win, Frostburg improves to 11-12 overall, while Wesleyan falls to 5-14. FSU will stay on the road for the second of their back-to-back match days, taking on Davis & Elkins on Saturday, October 21 at 7 p.m. Information and updates will be posted to frostburgsports.com.
