WHEELING, W.Va. – The Fairmont State (6-5) volleyball team utilized a season-high 32 block assists to sweep Shippensburg (6-4) before falling to Pitt-Johnstown (7-2) on Friday (Sept. 15) at the Atlantic Regional Crossover in Wheeling, W.Va.
 
Match One – Fairmont State 3, Shippensburg 0
Natalie Zemba led the charge at the net with nine block assists. Emma Ludwig and Josie Nobbe both added six block assists while Cayden Anschutz totaled five. Ellie Zuro, Chloe McDaniel and Joey Borelle combined for six block assists to total 32 on the match for Fairmont State. Borelle (13) and Zuro (11) led the Fairmont State offensive attack and both reached double figures in kills. Kelsie Dangerfield passed 16 assists while Jaianna Bouarouy dished out 13. Josie Skinn hit two service aces and snagged 20 digs. Dangerfield, Kaylen Pot and Jay Miller also finished the match with a service ace.
 
The Falcons led 9-8 in the first set and extended the lead to four after three straight points. The Falcons' lead extended to five after a kill by Zemba and a Shippensburg attack error. The Falcons held an 18-11 lead after a 3-0 run that concluded with a Nobbe kill assisted by Dangerfield. The Raiders trimmed the Falcons' lead to three points late in the set after winning five consecutive rallies. The Falcons won three of the final four points after two kills by Borelle and one by McDaniel.
 
Shippensburg responded in the second set and jumped out to a 7-1 lead. The Falcons regained the momentum with a 4-0 run that cut the Raiders' lead to 11-9. A Shippensburg attack error tied the score at 12. Fairmont State seized the lead after Zemba and Nobbe teamed up for a block at the net. The Falcons led by as many as six points in the second set, and Zemba and Anschutz recorded block assists to wrap up set two in favor of the Falcons, 25-22.
 
Fairmont State continued to roll in the third set and started with an 13-6 lead. A kill from Borelle and Zemba and two Shippensburg attack errors pushed Fairmont State's lead to 17-7. A service ace from Pot gave the Falcons a commanding 20-8 lead. Shippensburg would not trail by fewer than nine points down the stretch. Baylie Ostvig finished the match with a kill from Anschutz and the Falcons completed a sweep over Shippensburg with a 25-15 win in the final set.
 
Set Two: UPJ 3, Fairmont State 1
Zuro finished with a match-high 16 kills while Borelle finished another match in double digits with 13. Borelle tallied two service aces and Miller and Lindsey Ulring each had one. Zemba led the team with five block assists. Bouarouy and Dangerfield combined to pass 35 assists and Skinn hustled down 31 digs. Joining Skinn in double figures in the digs category was Borelle (17), Bouarouy (16) and Dangerfield (13).
 
Fairmont State started the match with a 6-2 lead. UPJ trimmed the lead to one point, but a service error and an ace from Miller increased Fairmont State's lead to three at 9-6. UPJ won four straight decisions and grabbed a 10-9 lead. With UPJ leading by as many as five points in the middle of the set, the Falcons rallied and tied the score at 16 down the stretch after a 5-0 run that included three Zuro kills and an ace by Borelle. The Falcons were unable to control a lead late in the set, and UPJ claimed set one, 25-19.
 
The Falcons led 9-6 in set two following four consecutive points. Pitt-Johnstown responded with five consecutive points and pushed their lead back up to two points. The Mountain Cats' largest lead was six points at 21-15. A Zuro kill, an Anschutz kill and a Dangerfield ace cut the deficit in half at 21-18. The Falcons did not show quit down the stretch and won three consecutive points to bring the score to 24-23 in favor of UPJ. Lualis Alvarado recorded the final kill of the set for the Mountain Cats and UPJ took set two, 25-23.
 
With the Falcons trailing 6-3, Fairmont State tied the score in set three at six after scoring three unanswered points. UPJ broke open a six-point lead after Fairmont State tied the score. The Mountain Cats led 18-13 late when Zuro and Nobbe swung for kills in a 3-0 Falcons' run. Fairmont State closed the gap to two points after a kill from Borelle and an ace by Ulring. The Falcons tied the set with a kill by Ludwig and two kills by Borelle to come all the way back and even the score at 22. With the Falcons facing match point, Fairmont State ripped off four-straight points to force a fourth set.
 
Borelle powered two kills to put Fairmont State in the lead, 8-6, to start the fourth set. UPJ jumped in front after the Mountain Cats scored five unanswered points. A UPJ service error and attack error pulled the Falcons within one. The Mountain Cats managed to increase their lead back to six points at 17-11. The Falcons would not trim the margin to fewer than three points, and the Mountain Cats won the fourth set, 25-18.
 
The Fairmont State volleyball team will finish competition at the Atlantic Regional Crossover tomorrow (Sept. 16) with matches versus Clarion at 2 p.m. and Slippery Rock at 4 p.m.