MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University volleyball team (7-0) earned its third consecutive sweep Saturday night, defeating Marist in straight sets on day two of the Jack Kaiser Volleyball Classic, hosted by St. John's in Queens, N.Y.
The Mountaineers delivered a commanding performance, combining offensive efficiency with defensive toughness to control the match from start to finish. WVU hit .426 as a team, finishing with 34 kills, 28 assists, 19 digs, 10 blocks, and seven service aces.
In the opening set, the Mountaineers came out firing, swinging at a blistering .556 clip with 13 kills to set the tone and seize early momentum. The second set proved to be more of a defensive battle, as WVU relied on its net presence to maintain control, tallying nine kills, four total blocks and six to extend the lead. West Virginia then finished with authority in the third, playing with composure and efficiency by hitting .458 with 12 kills and five blocks, closing out the sweep in dominant fashion.
Senior opposite
Trinity Sheridan paced the offense with 10 kills on .529 hitting, adding two digs and a block to finish with 10.5 points. Junior middle blocker
Maddy McGath was equally effective, contributing seven kills, five blocks, and an ace, also reaching 10.5 points. Freshman right side
Anna Barr delivered six kills and five blocks for 8.5 points, while junior outside hitter
Cassidy Tanton chipped in four kills, two aces, and five digs for 7.5 points.
Senior middle blocker
Laila Ibrahim added two kills and three blocks, and senior middle blocker
Chalina Lederer made an immediate impact off the bench, recording a perfect 1.000 hitting percentage with two kills. At the net,
Nina Horning contributed 2 kills and 2 blocks, while setters
Alexis Finnvold and
Sarah Pfiffner directed the offense. Finnvold dished out 15 assists along with two aces and two digs, while Pfiffner totaled 11 assists, four digs, and an ace.
Defensively, senior libero
LonDynn Betts anchored the back row with six digs and three assists, while also adding a service ace.
The Mountaineers return to action Sunday afternoon against Delaware State at 4 p.m. to close out the Jack Kaiser Volleyball Classic.
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUVolleyball on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
