WVU Downs Akron for Seventh Straight Win

Friday, September 15

West Point, N.Y.

11:00 a.m.

West Virginia University

9-2, 0-0BIG 12

Akron

3-7, 0-0MAC

Akron

WVU

Photo by: Steven Prunty

September 15, 2017 12:48 PM | Volleyball

Box Score Box Score Season Stats

By: Ashley Bailey

WEST POINT, N.Y. – The West Virginia University volleyball team made it seven in a row on Friday, sweeping Akron, 3-0, in the first match of the Black Knights Invitational at Gillis Field House in West Point, New York. The Mountaineers claimed the match in set scores 25-12, 25-12 and 25-19.

West Virginia moves to 9-2 on the season with the win, which marks WVU's sixth sweep of the season. Akron falls to 3-7 on the year.

For the third straight match, sophomore outside hitter Katelyn Evans led the way. Evans hit .500 with 11 kills, making just two errors on 18 total attempts. Senior outside hitter Morgan Montgomery, freshman middle blocker Katie DeMeo, sophomore right side Natania Levak and senior middle blocker Mia Swanegan each finished with five kills. Sophomore outside hitter Payton Caffrey had four, while freshman middle Briana Lynch added a pair as well.

Sophomore setter Erin Slinde dished out 21 assists, while senior setter Emma Anderson added 14. Slinde registered a service ace, as did DeMeo and freshman defensive specialist Lindsay Proctor. Caffrey and freshman libero Alexa Hasting led the way with a pair of aces each.

DeMeo led the blocking with four total blocks. Swanegan had a pair of solo blocks as well as a block assist. Hasting, Proctor and Caffrey led the floor defense with six digs each, while Slinde had five and Evans added four. Freshman defensive specialist Ava Richards had a pair of digs as well.

West Virginia hit .351 with 37 kills and seven team blocks. Kayla Gwozdz led the Zips with eight kills as Akron hit -.062 with 19 kills and three digs.

The Mountaineers rolled to a 25-12 win in the first set, hitting .280 with 10 kills. An Akron attack error started an 8-0 run that included a pair of aces from Caffrey and withstood a timeout for an 8-1 WVU advantage. The Zips scored three straight to cut into the deficit, but Evans countered with a kill and Swanegan paired with Caffrey for a block before adding a kill of her own for a 17-5 lead. Caffrey and DeMeo each found the court for a 22-11 WVU lead. Levak buried the ball to make it 23-12 before an Akron attacking error put WVU at set point with a 24-12 lead. Swanegan came up with the kill to win the set, giving the Mountaineers a 1-0 lead in the match.

WVU carried the momentum into the second set, hitting .333 in the frame for a 25-12 win. After trading points to start the set, the Mountaineers capitalized on several errors by the Zips, adding a pair of kills from Swanegan and one from Caffrey for a 12-6 lead. DeMeo and Slinde paired for one of two blocks in the set before DeMeo added a kill. Evans found the court twice more before Swanegan added a kill to bring up set point for WVU at 24-12. An ace from Proctor won the set as the Mountaineers made it a 2-0 lead in the match.

Several key reserves saw action in the third set, leading the Mountaineers to a 25-19 win. Evans led WVU on a 4-0 run early in the set for an 11-6 win, forcing Akron into a timeout. Back-to-back kills from Montgomery put WVU ahead 17-10 and had Akron call another timeout. Evans added three more kills before Montgomery came up with another at match point for the win, giving WVU the sweep.

The Mountaineers will face host Army at 7 p.m. Friday evening at Gillis Field House.