Concord Outlasted by Frostburg State in Five Sets

ATHENS, W.Va. – The Concord University volleyball team fell in a five-set match to Frostburg State Friday night in a Mountain East Conference match at the Carter Center.

The Mountain Lions (5-13, 1-8 MEC) won the first and third sets, 25-21 and 26-24 while FSU (6-15, 3-6 MEC) won the second and fourth games, 25-16 and 25-16. Frostburg State took the fifth set 15-10.

Set 1
Despite holding leads of 16-8 and 22-13, CU had to hold off a late Bobcats' rally to secure a 1-0 lead in the match. The Mountain Lions used a 6-0 run to open up the eight-point edge, and a kill from freshman outside hitter Hannah Steele pushed Concord up nine. FSU, though, scored seven straight points to cut the deficit to 22-20. However, a kill from senior right side Peyton Wiseman and an attack error pushed CU to 25 first.

Set 2
With the set tied at 6-6, the Bobcats scored 11 straight points to gain control of the set as they won by nine points to tie the contest.

Set 3
The Mountain Lions shook off the second set and fired off 17 kills and hit .385 in the middle game as they opened up a 10-4 lead on one of 21 kills by Steele in the match. Much like the first set, CU had to survive a Frostburg State surge as it tied the set at 17-17. Facing a 21-20 deficit, Concord answered with three straight points. And still tied at 24-24, back-to-back kills from Steele and sophomore middle hitter Csayjah Whitelow pushed CU up 2-1.

Set 4
A carbon copy of the second set was in order in the fourth game. Once again tied at 6-6, Frostburg State reeled off eight consecutive points to make it a 14-6 lead. Concord only got as close as seven points.

Set 5
CU raced out to a 7-2 advantage in the deciding game, but the Bobcats had an answered with six straight points of their own. A kill from Steele tied the set at 9-9, but a 4-0 run from Frostburg State allowed it to seize control on its way to a five-point win.

Match Stats
Steele became the first player since Sarah Jones and Brytni Willis in 2014 with a 20-20 game as she finished with 21 kills and 20 kills. Jones and Willis each had a 20-20 game against Charleston seven years ago. Sophomore setter Kristin Lough just missed a double-double with 21 assists and nine digs.

Senior setter Imani Rodgers added 19 assists. Wiseman notched seven kills and five total blocks. Senior defensive specialist Kelli Ellison had 27 digs while freshman defensive specialist Kaylee Spees provided 17 digs.

Concord faces West Virginia State at home 7:00 p.m. Tuesday.