Concord Overcomes Slow Start, Defeats West Virginia Wesleyan 3-2

ATHENS, W.Va. – The Concord University volleyball team outlasted West Virginia Wesleyan in five sets in a Mountain East Conference contest held at the Carter Center Monday evening.
 
With the win, the Mountain Lions improve to 14-14 overall and 7-5 against MEC competition while WVWC moves to 13-13 and 3-10 in the conference. The final set scores were 19-25, 25-16, 29-31, 25-14, 15-11.
 
Set 1
After the Bobcats grabbed the first six points of the game, sophomore outside hitter Meg Williams and sophomore middle hitter Jasmine Anderson answered with kills to bring the score to 6-2. Then, trailing 10-6, CU scored four-straight points to knot the frame 10-10. The run included a service ace from senior middle hitter Kyndra Pilant, a kill from sophomore outside hitter Chloe Thompson, and two WVWC errors. After West Virginia Wesleyan commanded a nine-point lead, Thompson added a pair of kills to bring the Mountain Lions within four, 21-17. However, the Bobcats took a 1-0 lead, 25-19.
 
Set 2
Sophomore setter Paige Richmond got Concord on the board first, serving an ace to take a 1-0 lead. After both teams traded points, WVWC and CU went on consecutive 4-0 runs to tie the frame 10-10. Thompson crushed three straight kills to end the scoring spurt. Williams swung for two kills to give CU a three-point edge, 16-13. An 8-0 Maroon and Gray scoring run followed, as Concord tied the match 1-1. Freshman setter Rylee Wise added two service aces to end the set paired with six Bobcats' attack errors.
 
Set 3
Williams and Thompson put a stop to an early WVWC lead, tying the third set 4-4 on a pair of kills. With the game tied 7-7, Thompson and Pilant chipped in on a five-point swing to lead 12-7. Freshman defensive specialist Haley Sweeney jumped in on the action, serving an ace to extend the advantage to seven. Then, a Bobcats scoring surge forced extra points where WVWC outlasted CU 31-29 to jump back in front 2-1.
 
Set 4
West Virginia Wesleyan grabbed another early lead in the frame, but it was Anderson that cooled the Bobcats' momentum as Concord trailed 6-5. With WVWC leading 9-6, Thompson and Pilant started a six-point scoring spurt that saw the Maroon and Gray hold a 12-9 advantage. CU didn't look back, adding a pair of 4-0 runs to force a set five, 25-14. Late in the set, the Mountain Lions relied on three kills from Williams and one kill each from Pilant and freshman right side Maddie Stull. As a team, Concord hit .333 in the frame, only swinging for two errors on 30 attempts with 12 kills.
 
Set 5
It was the Mountain Lions that jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the winner-take-all game on kills from Williams and Thompson. After the Bobcats tied the set 5-5, CU rattled off seven-straight points to come within three points of victory. During the run, Thompson crushed her 22^nd kill of the match followed by an ace from Williams and a block from sophomore middle hitter Meagan Poticher and Anderson. Pilant recorded the final two points of the game as CU erased the first set loss to down WVWC, 15-11.
 
Match Stats
Thompson set a new career-high with 22 kills on 45 swings with just five errors (.378). Her 22 kills are the most in a single game this season for Concord while also logging a double-double with 14 digs. Williams also collected a double-double with 16 kills and 11 digs. Pilant was the final Mountain Lion to hit in double figures, swinging for 10 kills and logging four blocks. Anderson finished one block shy of her career-mark with six total blocks. Richmond (24) and Wise (23) both logged over 20 assists each and sophomore defensive specialist Allie Davis tallied 21 digs.  
 
CU starts a two-game road trip when it travels to Charleston Friday at 2:00 p.m.