The Fairmont State Fighting Falcons volleyball team is set to square off versus fellow Mountain East Conference foe Charleston in the opening round of the NCAA Atlantic Regional Tournament on Friday (Nov. 18) night at 7:30 p.m. on the campus of Gannon University in Erie, Pa.
 
The winner of the Fairmont State/Charleston match will face the winner of the Gannon/Elizabeth City State match on Saturday (Nov. 19) night at 7:30 p.m. The Atlantic Region Final Match will be played on Sunday (Nov. 20) at 5 p.m. The winner of the Atlantic Region Tournament will advance to the national finals, which will be held in Seattle. The complete NCAA Tournament bracket can be found here.
 
Fighting Falcons Facts

• The Falcons earned the highest winning percentage in school history and have posted a .853 winning percentage in 34 matches. Fairmont State tallied a record of 29-5 in regular season competition and posted a 13-4 record in MEC matches.
• Four Fairmont State players received All-MEC recognition for their performances this season. The group was headlined by Bryce Knapp and Nyla Birch, who both received All-MEC First Team accolades.
• Birch played a consistent right-side hitter position for the Falcons. The sophomore from South Charleston, W.Va. racked up 283 kills and 93.0 blocks during the regular season. Birch logged the 10^th-best hitting percentage (.295) in the conference.
• A senior from Beckley, W.Va., Knapp snagged 547 digs in the regular season, good for 17^th in the nation. Her 52 service aces are the 27^th-highest total out of all NCAA Division II volleyball players. Knapp averaged 4.91 digs/set in MEC competition, which was the second-highest average. She received three MEC Defensive Player of the Week accolades in 2022. Knapp was selected to the MEC All-Tournament Team.
• Keara Lewis was named to the All-MEC Second Team after totaling 327 kills during regular season competition. The Williamsport, Md. native led the Falcons in kills and points (350.5).
• Newcomer Joey Borelle received All-MEC Honorable Mention and MEC All-Freshman Team honors in her first season wearing Maroon & White. Borelle totaled 273 kills and 294.5 total points. The Norton, Ohio native racked up the most kills for Fairmont State in the MEC Tournament and put down 20 kills in two matches.
• The Falcon's scoring is funneled through setters Lauren Albrecht and Kelsie Dangerfield. Albrecht has passed 637 assists, while Dangerfield has distributed 487 assists. The duo accounted for 78 percent of the Fairmont State assists.
• Josie Skinn has accumulated 262 digs and 32 service aces in her first collegiate season. Skinn has appeared in all 34 matches for the Falcons.
• Seniors Amelia Moore and Madison Chapman have combined for 397 kills. Chapman has averaged 2.18 kills/set, while Moore owns the second-highest total blocks mark (106.0).
• Moore and Emma Ludwig both have posted a blocks/set average north of 1.00. Ludwig leads the squad with 1.13 blocks/set, while Moore has averaged 1.06 blocks/set.
• Karli Edwards has provided defensive support for the Falcons. Edwards has grabbed 221 digs and averages 1.91 digs/set.
• Head Coach Travis Hinkle will make his first NCAA Regional Tournament appearance as a head coach. Hinkle secured his 50^th victory at Fairmont State with the team's win over Davis & Elkins in the quarterfinal round of the MEC Tournament. Prior to Fairmont State, Hinkle was at the helm of the Notre Dame (Ohio) volleyball program and posted the highest single-season winning percentage in school history during the 2019 season (.657).

 
Scouting Charleston
The Golden Eagles join Fairmont State, West Liberty and Wheeling as one of four MEC teams in the Atlantic Regional Tournament. The MEC South Champions fell to Wheeling in the conference championship game last Saturday (Nov. 12). Charleston has swept Fairmont State in two meetings this season. Both matches were played at the Wherle Innovation Center in the capital city. UC led the MEC with a 15-1 conference record.
 
Highland, Utah native Sage Bearnson leads the Golden Eagles with 3.28 kills/set. Bearnson totaled 400 kills in 36 matches. Pia Selke scored a team-high 476.0 points and chipped in 380 kills for UC. Maria Hernandez passed 1,320 assists and fed the UC attackers.
 
Charleston's defensive scheme starts with MEC Freshman of the Year Reagan McLean. McLean led the MEC in total blocks (133) and blocks per set (1.34). Four Charleston defensive specialists, Erin Carmody, Hernandez, McKenzie Damon and Morgan Walter, eclipsed 300 digs this season.
 
MEC Coach of the Year Tyler Kanelos leads the Charleston volleyball program. Kanelos helped UC secure the hosting rights to the conference tournament after ripping off 13-straight wins in the regular season. Prior to UC, Kanelos was an assistant coach for Marshall volleyball.

Ticket Information
Admission for each day of the tournament play will be as follows. Please note the ticket window will be CASH ONLY. 
Adults                                                            $10
Students with I.D./Senior Citizens                 $5 
Children, ages 2-12                                       $5 
Children under the age of 2 shall be admitted free when accompanied by a paying adult. 

Parking
On-street parking is available for fans, as well as a parking garage located a half-block away from the Highmark Events Center on Peach Street. 

Spectator Entrance 
Spectators are asked to enter the Highmark Events Center through the main doors on Peach Street. No entrance will be allowed via the doors connecting the Waldron Center. Tickets will be available for purchase at the front door ticket windows. 

Facility Regulations
The Highmark Events Center is an alcohol and smoke-free facility. Use of alcohol and tobacco products is strictly prohibited. Also, no pets are allowed in the Highmark Events Center unless they are a certified help animal.

Maps/Diagrams
A map of Gannon University can be found at the following link: https://gannonsports.com/documents/2022/7/27/CampusMap_July2022_11x17H.pdf.

Programs
Digital programs will be available for download at no cost at www.ncaa.com/gameprograms.