September 3rd, 2023 by WCBC Radio
The Frostburg State Women's Volleyball Team split the last day of their home tournament, defeating Bowie State before falling to Pitt-Johnstown.
FSU woke up with a win under their belt and ready to conquer the day. In the first set of game one, Bowie State earned the first two points off of Bobcat errors. FSU quickly turned things around, as senior Beverly Braun was set up for a strong kill that put the hosts on the board. Following that kill, redshirt senior Hayley Delor and freshman Maddie Lewis had kills of their own to allow FSU to take the lead. The Bobcats connected on both offense and defense and were able to pull away with the lead. After a few more kills and aces FSU was able to gain a lead by nine points 18-9. Bowie fought back and earned five more points during the set, but Frostburg outpaced them to get to 25 and win the first set on an ace from senior Jenna Gossard.
The Bulldogs were first to attack in the second set again, but a quick 5-1 run put FSU back in control, with the fifth point earned by a combined block from senior McKaily Thomson-Moran and Lewis. BSU got within a point a couple times during the set, but ultimately Frostburg's strong offense led them to win the set 25-21. Set point was won by a block from freshmen Paige Mock and Emma Larkins.
The third set was another close match, as this time FSU was first to see a point by another strong kill from Braun. The Bulldogs answered back, earning five consecutive points to lead 5-1. FSU was able to stop BSU's scoring streak and earned a point off of a service error. The next six points were earned by FSU and put them back in the lead 8-5. Points were earned back and forth and the Bulldogs were able to tie it up 9-9. Braun, Mock, and Thomson-Moran earned three kills back-to-back-to-back increasing FSU's lead. The Bobcats were able to keep Bowie at bay, as the visitors were never able to get within a point, with Frostburg winning 25-21 after another ace from Gossard.
Frostburg's second game of the day was against Pitt-Johnstown and was the final game of the tournament. UPJ took an early lead 2-0, but FSU quickly responded with two points of their own, a kill by junior AJ Thompson and a block by Thompson and Delor. Points were traded back and forth by each team until the game was tied again at 8-8. Frostburg took their first lead of the game 9-8 when Braun hit a non-playable ball to UPJ setter. FSU stretched their lead by three at 13-10, as Larkins and Braun each powered the ball over the net. UPJ was never far behind as they capitalized on errors and kept within one to two points of FSU's score. The Mountain Cats regained the lead with their 17th point off an attack error for a one-point advantage. Thompson smashed the ball to the back side of the court making the score tied once again 17-17. After a long set of back-and-forth points, UPJ was able to make a late run that secured the win 25-21.
The Mountain Cats came off the first set ready for action, earning the first two points. Thompson-Moran stopped the streak with a kill assisted by Delor. The next ten points were awarded to the Mountain Cats until the Bobcats received a point off a service error 10-2. UPJ took another large lead as they scored four points compared to FSU's two, making the lead 14-4. The Bobcats were able to cut the streak with a kill from Delor 14-5. Pitt answered back with three kills to go up 17-5, forcing FSU to call a timeout. An error from UPJ allowed the Bobcats to get the point out of the timeout. Frostburg was able to add a few more points to their score but the Mountain Cat offense was well knit and won them the set 25-10.
Frostburg banded together and had an inspiring huddle right before the third set started. This lit a fire in the side and earned them the first two points of the set, eventually going ahead 9-5. UPJ earned a few points within the next few rallies, but FSU started to pull away with a score of 14-9. Five consecutive points for FSU led UPJ to call a timeout. Coming out of that, the Mountain Cats found their momentum, eventually tying the game once again 23-23. UPJ earned the next two points, winning them the set and the match.
With the conclusion of the two games Frostburg moves to an overall record of 2-2. The Bobcats are back in action Friday, September 8 as they play in the Hall of Fame City Challenge in Canton, Ohio. For more information visit frostburgsports.edu.
