October 12th, 2024 by WCBC Radio
The Frostburg State Volleyball team lost a back-and-forth battle with West Liberty 3-2 on Friday evening, with several players notching career- and season-high performances.
Freshman Dani Kunkle got the Bobcats going with their first three points off back-to-back kills and an ace, while senior Brenna Siperko put up a solo block and further scores came from sophomore Maya Johnson and freshman Emery Kuebler, with FSU pushing ahead 8-2 early on. Each side traded points for much of the set, as Frostburg held their highest lead at 15-8 after Kunkle and Johnson fired off two straight kills. WLU chipped away, eventually getting within 17-14, though senior AJ Thompson found the floor and an attack error helped restore the lead to five. The Bobcats looked to have the set put away after another Kunkle kill and Siperko block put them ahead 23-17, but the Hilltoppers fought their way back to within two points, as Thompson finally got the final point off a West Liberty block that went out of play for a 25-22 score.
WLU reversed course in the second set, taking the early momentum to a 4-1 advantage, as Kunkle and another error brought FSU back within one. The Hilltoppers scored the next two points and held a three- or four-point advantage up to a 12-8 lead, when Kunkle put down back-to-back scores and Kuebler served up an ace to pull within 12-11. After the hosts pulled back ahead by three, Siperko bookended a four-point Frostburg run with a block and a kill, while junior Amanda Knieper put down two straight kills to suddenly take a 16-14 lead. West Liberty then ran off four in a row to regain the lead, as the teams locked into a back-and-forth battle up to a 22-22 tie. Rallied by the home crowd, WLU put down two straight points then combined on a block to take the set 25-22 and even up the match.
As she had done in the first set, Kunkle got things going in the third with an opening kill, then Siperko and Knieper combined on a block to put the Bobcats up 4-1. The Hilltoppers quickly tied things up before Siperko and Thompson each found the floor to go back up by three. Still not deterred, West Liberty put down six of the next seven points to take their first lead at 11-9, but a serving error and Kunkle score evened things back up. WLU was able to maintain a one-point lead throughout the next several rallies, leading 17-16 until Frostburg found some momentum. Knieper kicked things off with a kill, then followed with an ace as Kunkle put up a solo block and Thompson rounded out a four-point swing to lead 20-17. After West Liberty pulled back within one, Kunkle and Knieper each smacked the ball down either side of a sophomore Alyssa Stanton ace to lead 23-18. The Hilltoppers stayed alive for one point, then Kunkle struck again and WLU's final attack went out of play to give FSU the set 25-20.
After trading points to start the set, the Bobcats got an early lead as Johnson kicked off three straight points with a kill and a solo block to lead 5-2. FSU continued to hold a steady lead up to a 14-10 score after scores from Johnson, Knieper, and Thompson, though the Hilltoppers battled back to stay within one. Kuebler, Thompson, and Kunkle each had kills to keep the lead at two, but a pair of errors and a West Liberty ace put the hosts ahead 18-17. Johnson put up another block and a kill, while Thompson and Kunkle each found the floor to prevent WLU from pulling away, but up 23-22, an error and one swing of the arm kept the hosts alive with a 25-22 set win.
With the match now at a winner-take-all fifth set, West Liberty used their momentum from the fourth to surge ahead 7-2 in search of a quick victory. The Bobcats stayed alive and got themselves back into the set off a Kunkle ace and three combined kills between Johnson and Knieper, pulling within 9-7. Sensing their chance to strike, Knieper then came out of a Hilltopper timeout with an ace, followed by a pair of kills from Kunkle to come all the way back to lead 12-10. Another WLU timeout proved to be exactly what they needed, as they rattled off five straight points to stun FSU with a 15-12 score to seal the match.
Kunkle blew past her previous career-high with 22 kills, the most by any Frostburg player in a single match this season, while tacking on 12 digs. Thompson joined her in double figures, tying her season-high at 12 kills, while Siperko stood out with a personal best six blocks, five of them solo efforts. Senior Fiona Gonzalez Medina continued the impressive numbers, netting a season-high 24 digs, with Knieper adding 13.
With the loss, FSU drops to 6-10 on the year, while WLU improves to 8-10. The Bobcats return home on Tuesday, October 15 to face Fairmont State at 7 p.m. Information and updates will be posted to frostburgsports.com.
