The Mountaineers (3-1) opened the West Virginia Invitational against VCU. Toledo defeated Lehigh in the early match, 3-1, at Hope Coliseum in Morgantown, West Virginia. The Mountaineers pulled off an incredible comeback in the fourth set to win the match, 3-1. Trinity Sheridan led them with 14 kills, while Anna Barr and Macie Smith chipped in 12 each. Read more: WVU pulls off thrilling comeback in victory over VCU.
First set
The Mountaineers and the Rams traded blows to start the match. A kill by Macie Smith off an assist from Alexis Finnvold gave West Virginia its first point of the set to make it 1-1. Reagan Turk gave the Mountaineers their first lead of the set with an ace. VCU tied it at three apiece following an attack error by Nina Horning, but WVU took control.
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WVU rattled off four consecutive points to make it 12-6, which prompted a timeout by VCU. The Rams went on a 3-0 run out of the timeout, but a kill by Smith ended it. WVU mounted another run, this time a 3-0 run, that prompted another VCU timeout.
The Rams did not come out hot after the second timeout. West Virginia won the next two points off a kill by Maddy McGath and an ace by Lauren Duncan. VCU scored their last point of the set due to an attack error by Horning to make it 20-12. West Virginia scored the final five points to take the first set, 25-12.
Second set
Smith led the way with five kills in the first set, but also had four errors. VCU took an early 2-0 lead in the second set due to an attack error by Smith and an ace by Dunja Martic. Mirjam Karoliine put WVU on the board with a kill assisted by Finnvold. VCU rattled off four consecutive points to make it 6-1.
West Virginia broke the run with a kill by Smith, assisted by Finnvold. Smith made it 6-3 with an ace, but VCU responded with a kill by Lannah Price. A kill by Anna Barr made it 8-5 before two subs entered the match. WVU pulled within two points of VCU three times after making substitutions, but not any closer.
The Rams took four of the next five points to make it 16-11, but the Mountaineers did not give up. They took six of the next eight points to pull within one at 18-17. Barr had two kills in that
WVU tied it at 19 out of the break, but WVU responded with a 3-0 run. West Virginia called a timeout and put in Camille Huff. A Trinity Sheridan kill and an attack error by VCU made it 22-21 in favor of VCU before they called a timeout.
Both teams traded points out of the break, and a kill by McGath tied the set at 24. VCU won the next point off a kill by Letizia Galli, and the Mountaineers called a timeout to regroup. A Barr kill gave them the next point, but VCU took the set, 27-25, to tie the match up at one.
Third set
Price started the third set with a kill after the teams switched sides. Barr tied it at one with a kill, and Price responded with another kill. Horning tied it again at two with a kill off a Finnvold assist. The Rams took the next five points before a timeout by Mountaineers’ head coach Jen Greeny. McCall had two kills, while WVU did not help itself with two attack errors. VCU took an early 7-2 lead in the third set.
WVU stormed out of the timeout, winning three consecutive points, including an ace by Duncan. VCU did not go away and won two of the next three points to make it 9-6. The Mountaineers had another 4-0 run, ending in an ace by McGath to take a 10-9 lead.
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VCU retook the lead with a kill by Nina Boledovicova and an attack error by Sheridan. WVU rattled off four consecutive points, and an ace by Finnvold prompted a VCU timeout. The Rams won the point out of the break, but WVU took the next two to make it 16-12. Both teams traded blows until West Virginia pulled ahead by five at 20-15. VCU called a timeout to regroup.
They went back and forth out of the break, but WVU strung together consecutive points off kills from Sheridan and Kask to get a set point opportunity. Sarah Dibbs-Frantz got a kill on the first set point, but WVU took the next point to take a 2-1 lead in the match.
Fourth set
WVU won the first point of the fourth set before a 4-0 run by VCU. Barr ended the run with a kill, but two VCU kills made it 6-2. A kill by Horning brought WVU within three points, but a service error by Turk stopped the momentum.
The Rams won two points off a Price kill and a Smith attack error. McGath made it 10-6 with a kill, but VCU extended the lead before a WVU timeout. A McGath service error and a Boledovicova attack gave the Rams a 12-6 lead in the set.
The Rams did not take their foot off the gas out of the break. Both teams traded points before VCU won two in a row thanks to a Price kill and an attack error from Barr. WVU took another timeout to settle down and attempt to make a comeback. They won two consecutive points out of the break to make it 17-11.
West Virginia won six of the next eight points and forced two VCU timeouts in that span. Smith had two kills, while McGath and Sheridan recorded one each in that run. WVU pulled within two at 19-17 before the second timeout.
WVU tied it up at 19 out of the break thanks to kills by Sheridan and Smith. Both teams traded points until WVU took the lead off an attack error by Letizia Galli. VCU tied it up at 23, but the Mountaineers found their stride at the perfect time. A Horning kill and an attack error from VCU gave the Mountaineers the set, 25-23, and the match, 3-1.
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