WHEELING, W.Va. – The Fairmont State (6-7) volleyball team dropped a pair of matches to Clarion (10-1) and Slippery Rock (8-4) on the final day of the Atlantic Regional Volleyball Crossover at the Alma Grace McDonough Center in Wheeling, W.Va.
 
Match One – Clarion 3, Fairmont State 1
Ellie Zuro led the Falcons with 16 kills and her teammate Josie Nobbe added 11 to join her in double digits. Lindsey Ulring collected a pair of service aces. Three Falcons (Josie Skinn, Joey Borelle and Jaianna Bouarouy) reached double figures in digs. Bouarouy handed out 21 assists and Kelsie Dangerfield passed 14. Emma Ludwig led the Falcons at the net with three blocks.
 
The Falcons started the first set with a 7-2 lead after three consecutive kills by Nobbe, Zuro and Ludwig. Clarion rallied and took an 11-9 lead after scoring seven straight points. With Fairmont State trailing by four points, the Falcons ripped off three consecutive points and trailed 15-14 in the middle of the set. Ulring dropped two straight aces and tied the score at 17. A Zuro kill and two Clarion attack errors put the Falcons ahead 20-18 late in the first set. Clarion evened the score at 23 with a kill from London Fuller and Cassidy Snider. A Borelle kill and a Clarion attack error gave the Falcons the final two points of the set and the opening set win, 25-23.
 
Clarion roared back in the second set and won eight of the first nine rallies. Four-straight Falcons' points pulled Fairmont State back within three points. The Falcons could not keep the score within three points the remainder of the set. Clarion led by as many as nine points in the set and evened the score with a 25-17 win. With set three tied at 5-5, the Golden Eagles scored three points in a row and led 8-5. The Falcons tied set three 10-10 after a kill by Zuro and two Clarion attack errors. The Golden Eagles won seven of the next nine points to go ahead 17-12. Fairmont State cut Clarion's lead to two points with a 5-0 run that featured two kills each by Zuro and Nobbe. The Golden Eagles claimed three of the final four points of the third set and won 25-21. Clarion jumped out to a 9-7 lead and extended their edge on Fairmont State to 14-9 after a 3-0 run. Clarion led by as many as nine points at 24-15 and won the fourth set, 25-19.
 
Match Two – Slippery Rock 3, Fairmont State 0
Borelle shared a game-high 14 kills with Slippery Rock's Callie Chevalier. Natalie Zemba hit two service aces. Bouarouy dished out 18 assists and Skinn grabbed 20 digs while Dangerfield totaled 11. Ludwig made five blocks at the net.
 
Fairmont State held a 13-9 lead in the first set from two kills by Zuro, a Zemba service ace and a block assist by Ludwig and Zuro. The Falcons pushed the lead to 24-20 following a kill from Ludwig, blocks by Bouarouy and Ludwig and a Slippery Rock attack error. The Rock fired off six consecutive points and came back to won 26-24 in set one. After SRU won the first three points of set two, Fairmont State won five of the next six points to take a 5-4 lead. The Falcons trailed 13-11 when Zuro swung two consecutive kills to tie the score at 13. SRU won the next three points and held a 16-13 lead. The Rock pushed the lead to 21-16 when the Falcons ignited a 5-0 run to tie the score at 21. Slippery Rock finished the second set on a 4-0 run and won 25-21. A Borelle kill and block assists by Zuro and Zemba gave the Falcons an early 4-1 lead in the third set. SRU regained the lead after winning the next nine points and taking a 10-4 lead. The Falcons cut the margin to four at 11-7 from a Borelle kill. The Rock led by as many as 10 points in the third set and won 25-18 to close out the match.
 
Zuro Named to All-Tournament Team
Freshman Ellie Zuro was selected to the Atlantic Region Crossover All-Tournament Team after finishing the tournament with 51 kills and hitting .271.
 
2023 Atlantic Region Crossover All-Tournament Team
 
Cassidy Snider (Clarion)
Tylah Yeomans (Wheeling)
Karly Niesen (Wheeling)
Riley Kindall (Wheeling)
London Fuller (Clarion)
Sydney Bray (NDC)
Gabby DeRenzo (UPJ)
Ellie Zuro (Fairmont St.)
 
Outstanding Libero: Nya Setla (West Liberty)
 
The Fairmont State volleyball team will welcome Shepherd to Joe Retton Arena on Tuesday (Sept. 19) at 7 p.m.