FAIRMONT, W.Va. — Fairmont State outlasted West Liberty in a five-set thriller on Friday at Joe Retton Arena, taking a 3-2 victory with scores of 23-25, 22-25, 26-24, 25-22, 15-10. Fairmont State overcame a two-set deficit, propelled by 69 kills and 15 total blocks.

The first set began with Fairmont State falling behind early as West Liberty took a 3-0 lead. However, Fairmont State quickly responded with a series of kills by Joey Borelle and Josie Nobbe, leveling the score at 3-3. The Falcons gained momentum with a 6-4 run, highlighted by contributions from Cayden Anschutz and a block from Chloe McDaniel and Natalie Zemba, which pushed their lead to 10-7.

Midway through the set, Fairmont State maintained a narrow lead with strong plays from Nobbe and Borelle. Despite a service ace by Ashton Henrich that brought the Falcons back to a tie at 21-21, the Hilltoppers capitalized on late opportunities. The set concluded with West Liberty edging ahead to take it 25-23, after a final sequence of kills by Ashley Cudnik.

The second set opened with Fairmont State matching West Liberty point for point, as Nobbe and McDaniel tallied crucial kills to maintain parity. Despite brief leads, including a 6-4 edge following a block from McDaniel and Zemba, service errors allowed West Liberty to regain momentum.

Fairmont State fought back, with Borelle delivering a kill to level the score at 8-8. The teams exchanged points, but a service ace and a series of kills from West Liberty's Cudnik helped them extend to a 24-20 lead. The Falcons narrowed the gap with a block from Anschutz and Zemba, but ultimately fell short as West Liberty secured the set 25-22.

Fairmont State opened the third set by establishing an early lead, highlighted by kills from Anschutz and Nobbe, moving ahead 4-1. The team maintained momentum with effective blocking from Anschutz and Zemba, extending the score to 7-4. The opposition responded with a series of points, leveling the score at 13-13.

As the set progressed, Fairmont State regained composure with a crucial kill by McDaniel, followed by consistent offensive contributions from Borelle. The score remained tight, with both teams exchanging points, culminating in a 19-19 tie. Anschutz and Nobbe's timely kills helped Fairmont St. stay competitive.

In a tense closing sequence, Fairmont State capitalized on opponent errors and a decisive block by McDaniel and Zemba to capture the set with a 26-24 victory.

The fourth set opened with Fairmont State facing a challenging start as West Liberty gained an early lead. However, Borelle and Nobbe helped chip away at the deficit with key kills, keeping the Falcons competitive. Midway through the set, Fairmont State trailed but began to find rhythm through successive defensive blocks by Alexa Martin and McDaniel, narrowing the visitor's lead.

As the set progressed, Fairmont State capitalized on West Liberty's errors and executed a series of effective plays, with Nobbe delivering crucial kills to level the score at 20. In the final moments, Nobbe's performance was pivotal, securing a service ace to put the Falcons ahead. Fairmont State closed the set strong with back-to-back service aces from Nobbe, sealing the set with a 25-22 victory.

In the decisive fifth set, Fairmont State found momentum with a strong defensive presence and effective attacks. Nobbe sparked the team with key kills and a crucial block, contributing significantly to the early back-and-forth scoring. After trailing 4-3, the Falcons surged ahead with a 7-0 run, marked by Borelle's three kills, pushing the score to 10-4.

Gabi Smith and Zemba fortified the defense with blocks that halted West Liberty's advances. Despite a brief rally by the Hilltoppers to narrow the gap to 13-10, Fairmont State responded with Borelle's final kill to close the set. The home team secured the set 15-10, concluding the match with a victory.

Borelle recorded 23 kills across five sets and in the second set, she recorded her 1,500th kill of her career. Josie Skinn was pivotal in defense, collecting 29 digs, which was the highest on the team. Nobbe also contributed significantly, tallying 22 kills and securing 25.0 points. Zoe Ringer facilitated the offense with 33 assists.

Fairmont State (20-9, 8-4) hosts Salem University on Saturday, November for Senior Day. Match time is slated for 1:00 p.m.