WEST LIBERTY, W.Va.— The Fairmont State volleyball team played two matches on Saturday, achieving a victory against Shippensburg and suffering a loss to Gannon.
In their first match, the Falcons defeated Shippensburg 3-1, with set scores of 25-23, 25-16, 17-25, and 25-22. The Falcons created separation in the second set with an impressive 11-0 run that shifted the score from 13-10 to 24-10. Overall, the Falcons finished with 55 kills and 89 digs, hitting an impressive .302, including 18 kills in the fourth set.
Fairmont State started strong, taking the first set 25-23. After a competitive start, the Falcons held off a late Raiders push, finishing the set on an attack error after the score tightened to 24-23. Key contributions came from
Ava Strange and
Elena Thompson, who opened the set with kills, leading to a 6-1 advantage. Despite a strong response from the Raiders, the Falcons secured the set with kills from Ringer and a final error from the opposition.
The second set saw the Falcons break open the match with an 11-0 run, spearheaded by
Ashton Henrich's impressive serving. After initially trailing, the Falcons surged ahead with kills from Ringer, Nobbe, and Ostvig, claiming the set 25-16 despite a late rally from Shippensburg.
In the third set, Fairmont took an early 3-0 lead but fell behind due to a six-point service run from the Raiders, ultimately losing the set 25-17. The Falcons bounced back in the fourth set, winning 25-22 after a tight finish where they secured four of the last five points, highlighted by a final kill from
Averi Martin.
Nobbe led the Falcons with 14 kills at a .323 hitting percentage and added six digs. Grace Devall recorded 26 digs and five assists, while
Belle DeVall contributed 22 assists and 10 digs. Thompson added 10 kills, 13 digs, and two service aces.
In their second match of the day, Fairmont State faced Gannon, falling 3-0 with set scores of 26-28, 14-25, and 20-25. The Falcons showcased resilience in the first set, erasing a 21-17 deficit and taking a brief lead at 22-21, but ultimately lost the set 28-26.
Elena Thompson sparked the Falcons' comeback in the first set, and they were able to stay competitive thanks to
Josie Nobbe and
Kailyn Connelly. However, despite a strong effort including a late kill from
Averi Martin to tie it at 25-25, Gannon closed out the set with three consecutive points.
The second set proved challenging as Gannon surged ahead early, leading 9-2 before the Falcons managed to piece together a response, but ultimately fell 25-14. The Falcons fought back in the third set, even taking a 14-11 lead, but Gannon's late surge sealed the set 25-20.
Grace Devall led the Falcons defensively with 20 digs and an assist. Connelly and Thompson each contributed nine kills, with Connelly hitting .389 on 18 attacks.
Belle DeVall added 16 assists, three digs, and a kill on her only attack.
Fairmont State (9-4) remains on the road as it travels to Walsh University on Tuesday, September 15. Match time is set for 6:00 p.m.
