Volleyball

West Liberty’s Women’s Volleyball team got off to a mixed start in coach Riley Schenk’s first two games in charge of the squad.

The Hilltoppers got their season underway with two away trips last week. Over 400 days after their last competitive outing they travelled to Notre Dame College (Ohio) (1-1) on Tuesday Feb. 2 in what was an extremely tense affair. The Lady Toppers lost the game 3-2 after almost two and a half hours of play which saw sophomore Kirsten Bogonvich fall just short of a triple double with nine kills, 32 assists and 19 digs. The ladies played again just three days later coming away with a win over Alderson Broaddus University (0-1) in their second game to secure Schenk’s first win.

WLU’s bounce back from Tuesday’s defeat was first-rate with a 3-0 sweep against the Battlers and impressive performances across the court, specifically from Nina Billotto and Madison Clayton, who had 12 and 10 kills respectively. This was their fifth consecutive win over AB and they will be hoping to continue this unbeaten streak when the two teams face off in the reverse fixture later on in the season.

The Lady Toppers came into this condensed season as the number two ranked team in the MEC North Division and will be hoping to put pressure on rivals and defending MEC champions Wheeling University. The preseason rankings suggest that this is shaping up to be a very competitive division with three teams tied for second spot.

They will look to build on Friday night’s win in their home opener against Fairmont State (2-0) this Tuesday night at the ASRC before travelling to Frostburg State University (0-1) on Friday. Schenk’s Toppers will play 10 games this season and will be hoping that they can build momentum at this early stage to start their bid for a spot in the MEC Championship Tournament.