MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University volleyball team (13–3, 1–3 Big 12) was defeated by the University of Cincinnati Bearcats (10–5, 2–3 Big 12) on Wednesday evening in a four-set contest. The match, held at WVU Coliseum, concluded with set scores of 21–25, 18–25, 25–23, and 21–25.
The Mountaineers struggled to establish offensive consistency throughout the match. In the opening set, WVU recorded 9 kills with a .103 hitting percentage, followed by another 9 kills and a .129 clip in the second. Despite a third-set resurgence—posting 11 kills and hitting .162—the team could not sustain momentum. The fourth set marked WVU's strongest offensive showing with 17 kills and a .182 hitting percentage, but the effort fell short in closing the gap.
Overall, West Virginia finished with 46 kills on 141 attempts and a .149 hitting percentage. The team registered 43 assists and one service ace. Defensively, the Mountaineers compiled 51 digs and 12 total blocks, including five solo blocks and 14 block assists.
Junior outside hitter
Nina Horning led the offense with 13 kills on 33 attempts (.303), adding a service ace, two solo blocks, and seven digs for a team-high 16 points. Redshirt junior opposite
Trinity Sheridan matched Horning's kill total and contributed a block assist. Senior middle blocker
Laila Ibrahim was notably efficient, hitting .636 with seven kills and three total blocks.
Junior middle blocker
Maddy McGath added seven kills and five total blocks, while redshirt senior outside hitter
Cassidy Tanton contributed two kills and three block assists. Redshirt junior setter
Alexis Finnvold paced the offense with 24 assists and eight digs, and freshman setter
Sarah Pfiffner added 10 assists and five digs.
Senior libero
LonDynn Betts anchored the backcourt with 14 digs and seven assists. Freshman right-side hitter
Anna Barr and senior opposite
Lauren Bodily each added a kill and a block off the bench, while sophomore outside hitter
Maggie Elliott also contributed a kill.
West Virginia will begin a three-match road trip on Sunday, October 12, with a 1p.m. contest against UCF at The Venue in Orlando, Florida.
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUVolleyball on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
