WVU Takes Five-Set Thriller vs. FGCU

Saturday, September 8

Ft. Myers, Fla.

7:00 p.m.

West Virginia University

4-5

Florida Gulf Coast

5-4

West Virginia

FGCU

Photo by: All Pro Photography/Dale Sparks

September 08, 2018 11:15 PM | Volleyball

Box Score Box Score Season Stats

By: Amy Salvatore

FT. MYERS, Fla. – Following an 11-kill performance from freshman middle blocker Kristina Jordan, the West Virginia University volleyball team bounced back Saturday evening to top host Florida Gulf Coast in a five-set thriller, inside FGCU's Alico Arena, in Ft. Myers, Florida. The Mountaineers (4-5) took the match from the Eagles (5-4) in set scores of 29-27, 11-25, 26-24, 10-25 and 15-13 to close out the Florida Gulf Coast Tournament.

WVU recorded a 2-1 mark at the two-day event, with sophomore defensive specialist Lindsay Proctor and Jordan collecting all-tournament team honors for their efforts.

"Florida Gulf Coast is a very strong team, but I'm proud of the way our girls bounced back tonight," fourth-year 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 fourth set, we never gave up and battled back."

Jordan led the offense with a career-high 11 kills, hitting a game-high .625 in the match. Junior outside hitter Katelyn Evans finished the night with eight, while freshman outside hitter Kristin Lux added seven.

Four Mountaineers finished the match with double-figure digs, led by Proctor, who finished with a career-high 21. Freshman setter Lacey Zerwas also dug a career-high 13 balls, while sophomore defensive specialist Alexa Hasting and Lux each recorded 11 in the match.

Zerwas also had a career high in assists, dishing out 36 of the team's 40, while Proctor added two. Freshman Marielena Somoza had a team-best two aces, while freshman defensive specialist Keatan Broughton and Lux each had one.

Jordan led the blocking effort with six block assists, followed by junior right side hitter Natania Levak and sophomore middle blocker Katie DeMeo with four apiece.

West Virginia, who played in its first five-set match of the year, hit .073 with 40 kills and 11 team blocks. Led by Cortney Vanliew's 29 kills, Florida Gulf Coast hit .213 with 10 blocks and 67 kills.

In an extended first set, WVU recorded 17 kills on 50 attacks for a .220 hitting percentage to claim the 29-27 victory over FGCU. Down 8-5, the Mountaineers capitalized on a trio of Eagle attacking errors to tie the set at 8-8. Florida Golf Coast used a timeout to regroup, scoring three of the next four points to regain the lead at 12-10. The Mountaineers did not back down, though, as both teams battled through several ties down the stretch. With WVU holding a 22-20 lead, FGCU tallied four straight points to reach set point at 24-22. However, DeMeo and Lux each put down a kill to help the Mountaineers extend the frame, serving set point for the first time at 25-24. West Virginia would serve set point two more times before winning the stanza, 29-27, on a Florida Gulf Coast attacking error to take the 1-0 match lead.

FGCU jumped out to an early 5-1 lead in the second set and never looked back. The Mountaineers used a timeout to regroup, but the Eagles went on to score four of the next five points out of the stoppage, pushing their lead to seven at 9-2. Florida Gulf Coast picked up the pace late in the set, scoring four in a row for an 18-6 advantage. West Virginia eventually called its second timeout of the frame, but could not put forth any momentum, as FGCU notched a pair of kills to take the set, 25-11, and tie the overall match at 1-1.

West Virginia rebounded in the third, winning the set 26-24, to take a 2-1 match lead over Florida Gulf Coast. The Mountaineers took an early 13-7 advantage before the Eagles called their final timeout of the frame midway through the set. FGCU then used a pair of 3-0 scoring runs to its advantage, cutting its deficit to one at 16-15. West Virginia used a timeout of its own to regroup, as Zerwas tipped the ball over the net to put WVU ahead 17-15 out of the stoppage. However, the Eagles went on a 5-0 scoring streak late in the set to take a 22-20 lead. FGCU then used a pair of kills to reach set point, but it was the Mountaineers who finished strong, scoring three in a row for the 26-24 win and 2-1 match lead.

West Virginia trailed Florida Gulf Coast 13-2 midway through the fourth set. A 5-0 run by the Eagles increased their lead to 14 at 18-4. WVU couldn't recover, as FGCU scored four of the last five points for the 25-10 win, forcing a fifth set for the Mountaineers.

Jordan registered a pair of kills, as West Virginia took an early 4-2 lead to start the fifth set. The Eagles called a timeout, but the Mountaineers continued to roll, scoring four of the next five points out of the break for the 8-3 advantage. However, a pair of FGCU kills cut its deficit to three, down 10-7, forcing West Virginia to take its first timeout of the frame. Evans came out swinging, finding the court twice for the 14-10 advantage. With the Mountaineers at set point, the Eagles continued to put up a fight, scoring three in a row to come within one at 14-13. However, it was DeMeo who came up with a huge kill to win the set, 15-13, to walk away with the 3-2 victory.

Looking ahead, the bulk of the nonconference slate wraps up in Morgantown with a two-day tournament on Sept. 14-15. West Virginia welcomes Morehead State, Penn and Wake Forest to the Mountaineer Classic, as the squad squares off with the Morehead State Eagles on Friday (7 p.m.) before facing the Penn Quakers on Saturday morning (11 a.m.). Saturday evening's finale (7 p.m.) will be a showdown between the Mountaineers and the Demon Deacons.

Of note, the Mountaineers are eight wins away from collecting their 700th win in program history. West Virginia currently holds a 692-727 all-time record since its inaugural season in 1974.

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