MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University volleyball team (2-1, 0-0 Big 12) downed Hofstra, 4-1 on Sunday at the Wake Forest Invitational in Winston-Salem, North Carolina with scores of 25-22, 25-22, 16-25 and 26-24.
 
Redshirt junior outside hitter Cassidy Tanton once again led the Mountaineers offense, collecting 18 of the squads 49 kills with a hitting percentage of .267.
 
Sophomore middle blocker Maddy McGath and junior middle blocker Laila Ibrahim added 10 and eight kills, respectively. Sophomer setter Alexis Finnvold added yet another career high with 35 assists.
 
Junior middle blocker Chalina Lederer led West Virginia with seven blocks, while graduate student libero Sydney Reed added a career best 18 digs.
 
Points were traded early in set one from both teams, as the score was knotted at four. A 5-0 scoring from the Pride looked dangerous for West Virginia, before a kill and slew of Hofstra errors let the Mountaineer lead, 20-19. With the score tied three more times throughout the set, a block from Lederer and sophomore outside hitter Quincey Coyle paired with a kill from Ibrahim secured set one for WVU, 25-22.
 
Tanton started off the second set with electricity, collecting a kill and two service aces to give the Mountaineers an early 4-1 lead. It was an all-out battle for points, before a 5-2 run gave West Virginia a 15-12 advantage. As kills rained in from Tanton and Ibrahim, so did the Hofstra errors, pushing the West Virginia lead, 20-19. A late strike from Finnvold gave WVU set two, 25-22.
 
The Pride showed no mercy in set three, taking a large 11-5 advantage prior to the halfway point. A 3-0 run off a Hofstra error and two kills from Tanton wasn't enough to slow the Pride, as they persisted with a 14-10 lead. Hofstra stayed strong throughout the set, capturing the third, 25-16.
 
Hofstra once again took the lead early in set four, 5-3. The Mountaineers remained down until the score was tied up at 10 all. A 7-1 run was enough for West Virginia, as graduate student setter Lauren DeLo added a pair of kills and Tanton slammed the door with an ace, giving the Mountaineers the fourth and final set, 26-24.
 
West Virginia was named the victors of the Wake Forest Invitational as Tanton garnished tournament MVP honors. Additionally, Finnvold was named to the All-Tournamet team.
 
Next up, the Mountaineers will head to the NDSU/UND Tournament on Sept. 6-8. The tournament will be cohosted by North Dakota and North Dakota State, with both programs serving as site hosts. West Virginia will first face North Dakota State on Sept. 6 at 8 p.m., at the Bentson Bunker Field House in Fargo, North Dakota. WVU will then travel to Grand Forks, N.D. to take on Northern Iowa on Sept. 7 at 7 p.m. and will conclude the weekend versus North Dakota on Sept. 8 at noon. Both matches will be played inside the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center.
 
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUVolleyball on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.