WVU Suffers Loss to No. 1 Stanford

Saturday, September 1

Provo, Utah

7:00 p.m.

West Virginia University

2-4

Stanford

4-1

Team	1	2	3	Final F
Stanford	25	25	25	3
West Virginia	9	9	12	0

Photo by: Steven Prunty

September 01, 2018 09:01 PM | Volleyball

Box Score Box Score Season Stats

By: Amy Salvatore

PROVO, Utah – Unable to overcome a Stanford offense hitting .432, the West Virginia University volleyball team dropped a 3-0 match to the No. 1-ranked Cardinal in its final contest of the 2018 BYU Nike Invitational on Saturday evening, at the Smith Fieldhouse, in Provo, Utah. The Mountaineers (2-4) fell to the Cardinal (4-1) in set scores of 25-9, 25-9 and 25-12.

Despite the loss, sophomore defensive specialist Lindsay Proctor was named to the all-tournament team for her efforts.

Freshman outside hitter Kristin Lux led the way with six kills, while junior right side hitter Natania Levak and freshman outside hitter Rhyenne Filisi each notched a trio of kills in the match.

Junior setter Erin Slinde dished out 13 of WVU's 17 assists, adding a team-high eight digs and a block assist. Proctor also dug seven balls in the match, while junior defensive specialist Gabrielle Cuckovich recorded a season high with six.

West Virginia finished the contest with 17 kills, 31 digs and three team blocks.

The Cardinal rolled to a 9-2 lead to start the first set and never looked back. The Mountaineers took a timeout to regroup, scoring three of the next four points to cut their deficit to five at 10-5. West Virginia then capitalized on a pair of Stanford miscues to come within five once again, trailing 12-7, but Stanford used nine straight points down the stretch to reach set point at 24-8. A Stanford attacking error extended the frame for the Mountaineers, but the Cardinal claimed the 25-9 win off a Courtney Brown kill for the 1-0 lead in the match.

The second frame started similar to the first, with Stanford taking four straight before the Mountaineers got on the board following a Cardinal service error. Kills from Lux and sophomore middle blocker Briana Lynch brought WVU within five, down 8-3. However, a 7-0 scoring run put the Cardinal on top for good at 18-4. Filisi notched a pair of kills late in the match, but it wasn't enough, as Stanford took a 2-0 lead after winning the set, 25-9.

The teams traded points to start the third, as a kill from Levak brought the Mountaineers within one, down 5-4. A 5-0 run by the Cardinal increased their lead to six at 10-4. West Virginia couldn't recover, as Stanford took eight of the last nine points for a 25-12 win in the set and a 3-0 victory in the match.

West Virginia will remain on the road next weekend, as the Mountaineers travel south to Ft. Myers, Florida, for a two-day tournament at Florida Gulf Coast from Sept. 7-8. WVU opens play against Western Illinois at 3 p.m. ET on Friday afternoon. The squad then wraps up the Florida Gulf Coast Tournament on Saturday, as it takes on Albany, a 2017 National Invitational Volleyball Championship-qualifying team, in a 1 p.m. ET matchup, and host FGCU in a 7 p.m. ET evening tilt.

For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUVolleyball on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.