MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University volleyball team (13–5, 1–5 Big 12) was defeated by Iowa State (15–3, 5–2 Big 12) in four sets on Thursday evening inside Hilton Coliseum. The match concluded with set scores of 25–14, 22–25, 20–25, and 20–25.
The Mountaineers opened the contest with a commanding first-set win, hitting .481 with 14 kills on 27 attempts. However, offensive consistency waned as the match progressed. In the second set, WVU posted a match-high 17 kills but saw its hitting efficiency dip to .279. The third frame brought further struggles, with just nine kills and a .206 clip. West Virginia showed signs of recovery in the fourth set, recording 12 kills and hitting .270, but the late surge was not enough to shift momentum.
West Virginia finished the match with 52 kills on 141 total attempts, hitting .298 overall. The offense was paced by 45 assists and three service aces. Defensively, the Mountaineers compiled 66 digs and six total blocks, including one solo block and 10 block assists.
The attack was well distributed, with six players registering five or more kills. Redshirt senior outside hitter
Cassidy Tanton led all players with a match-high 12 kills on 39 attempts (.256), while also posting a career-best 17 digs and one service ace to secure her 18th career double-double.
Junior middle blocker
Maddy McGath followed with 11 kills on 17 swings (.647), adding two digs and a block assist for 11.5 points. Junior outside hitter
Nina Horning contributed nine kills on 36 attempts (.194), along with seven digs and a service ace. Redshirt junior opposite hitter
Trinity Sheridan added nine kills on 24 attempts (.250) and three total blocks for 9.5 points. Senior middle blocker
Laila Ibrahim was efficient at the net, hitting .385 with six kills on 13 attempts and leading the team with five total blocks.
Senior opposite hitter
Lauren Bodily chipped in five kills and three block assists. At setter,
Alexis Finnvold and
Sarah Pfiffner split responsibilities, each recording 19 assists. Finnvold added one ace and two digs, while Pfiffner notched 10 digs to earn her second career double-double.
Senior libero
LonDynn Betts anchored the backcourt with a team-high 23 digs. Sophomore defensive specialist
Eily Painter added one dig, and senior middle blocker
Chalina Lederer recorded a block assist in limited action.
West Virginia concludes its three-match road swing with a matchup against Colorado on Saturday, October 18, at 2 p.m. ET inside the CU Events Center.
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUVolleyball on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
