WVU Takes Five-Set Thriller vs. Army

Friday, September 15

West Point, N.Y.

7:00 p.m.

West Virginia University

10-2, 0-0BIG 12

Army

5-6, 0-0PL

WVU

Army

Photo by: All Pro Photography/Dale Sparks

September 15, 2017 10:08 PM | Volleyball

Box Score Box Score

By: Ashley Bailey

WEST POINT, N.Y. – Sophomore hitters Payton Caffrey and Katelyn Evans combined for 44 kills while senior middle blocker Mia Swanegan came up with the match-winning block as the West Virginia University volleyball team topped Army, 3-2, to win its eighth straight match on Friday evening at the Black Knights Invitational at Gillis Field House in West Point, New York. WVU moved to 10-2 on the season by winning in set scores of 21-25, 25-19, 33-35, 25-21 and 15-11 over the Black Knights (5-6, 0-0 Patriot).

Evans led the offense for the third straight match, hitting .385 with a career-best 24 kills and five blocks. Caffrey finished the night with 20 kills and 14 digs for a double-double, hitting .241 in the process. Sophomore right side Natania Levak added nine kills, while Swanegan had eight. Freshman middle Katie DeMeo hit .625 with five kills.

Four Mountaineers finished the match with double-figure digs, led by freshman libero Alexa Hasting who finished with 18. After Caffrey, freshman defensive specialist Ava Richards had 11 and sophomore setter Erin Slinde added 10.

Slinde tied her career-high with 56 assists, while Hasting added five and senior setter Emma Anderson dished out four. Slinde also had a team-best two aces, while Hasting, Richards and sophomore defensive specialist Gabrielle Cuckovich each had one.

Swanegan led the blocking effort with 10 total blocks, followed by Evans with five. Caffrey added a trio and DeMeo, Levak and Slinde each added a pair.

West Virginia, who played its first five-set match of the year, hit .261 with 67 kills and 14 team blocks. Led by Carolyn Bockrath's 22 kills, Army hit .168 with six blocks and 66 kills.

"Army's a very strong team," coach Reed Sunahara said. "It was a great atmosphere to play in, and it was a great test for us to overcome adversity. I'm proud of the way we battled. Even after the third set, we never gave up and battled back."

Despite out-hitting the Black Knights at .206, the Mountaineers struggled in the frame and dropped the set, 25-21. An early 6-0 run by Army put West Virginia in a 7-3 hole that it couldn't recover from. Swanegan had a block and a kill on a late 6-0 run by WVU that brought the Mountaineers within one. However, a timeout by Army helped swing the momentum towards the Black Knights. Despite two more kills from Caffrey, WVU couldn't overcome the deficit and trailed Army 1-0 in the match.

The Mountaineers improved in the second set, hitting .286 in picking up the 25-19 victory. Caffrey notched a pair of kills and Slinde added an ace as WVU took a 10-6 lead on an Army attacking error. Back-to-back kills by Evans made it 14-9 in favor of the Mountaineers before Evans buried another for a 15-11 advantage. Caffrey added a pair as WVU took a 20-15 lead, while DeMeo and Swanegan made it 22-19. Evans and Swanegan pair on a block before Caffrey found the court to bring up set point. Evans and Swanegan came up with the stop again as WVU tied the match 1-1.

In an extended third set, WVU couldn't put things away and dropped the frame, 35-33. Caffrey paired with Swanegan and DeMeo on back-to-back blocks, helping the Mountaineers to a 6-4 lead. The teams battled to several ties before a kill from Caffrey brought up set point with a 24-23 lead for the Mountaineers. West Virginia couldn't close the deal. The Mountaineers would serve set point six more times, while Army would serve to cap the match on five occasions. Following a WVU service error, the Black Knights came up with a block and a kill to win the set and take a 2-1 lead in the match.

Hitting .379 behind eight kills from Evans, West Virginia rebounded to even the score with a 25-21 victory in the fourth set. Swanegan was a part of three straight blocks as the Mountaineers claimed an early 4-0 lead. Army battled back, coming within one on a kill. However, West Virginia did just enough to stay ahead, using kills from Caffrey and Evans to keep a 17-15 lead. Evans found the court three more times, giving WVU a 20-17 lead and forcing the Black Knights into a timeout. Back-to-back Caffrey kills brought up set point before an Army attacking error gave the Mountaineers the win to tie the match at 2-2.

Swanegan registered a kill, followed by an ace from Richards to start the fifth set. Swanegan and Evans paired on a stop before Evans put one through the pins to make it 5-1 in favor of WVU, forcing Army into a timeout. The Black Knights scored out of the stoppage, coming within one down 6-5. Swanegan came out of a WVU timeout swinging, finding the court for a 7-5 advantage before Caffrey and Levak followed suit for a 9-6 lead. A kill from Evans forced another Army timeout, and a Cuckovich ace put the Mountaineers on top 12-8. Levak and Evans came up with big swings, but it was Swanegan who came up with the huge block with the win set, 15-11, and take the match 3-2.

West Virginia caps the Black Knights Invitational with a 2:30 match against Providence on Saturday afternoon.