Golden Eagles Fall to West Virginia, 3-2

Sept. 27, 2009

MORGANTOWN, W. Va. - In search of its first BIG EAST Conference win of 2009, the Marquette University women's volleyball team fell to West Virginia Sunday afternoon, 3-2 (20-25, 25-21, 25-28, 23-25, 15-11).

Sophomore Ashley Beyer led the Golden Eagles (10-6, 0-2 BIG EAST) with 24 kills to tie a carer high and also recorded 11 digs, while junior Leslie Bielski also registered a double-double with 18 kills and 11 digs.

In stark contrast to Saturday's showdown at Pittsburgh, the Marquette outside hitters came out on fire in the first frame. Beyer recorded seven kills (7-1-13, .462) in the first while Jones added six of her own (6-0-9, .667). As a team, MU hit .447 (20-3-38) in the first. Leslie Bielski put MU on the board for its first points with a kill off a one-handed dig off the floor by senior Hailey Viola. Neither team would lead by more than two until a 4-0 MU run put the Golden Eagles on top for good at 17-13 off a Bielski service ace.

With more of the same from Marquette's outsides and middles in the second, the Golden Eagles built a 13-11 advantage off a kill from Beyer to force the Mountaineers into their first timeout of the second stanza. WVU then scored five-straight points out of the ensuing timeout to take a 16-14 advantage. After a Klingsporn kill put MU up 20-19, the Mountaineers would mount a comeback to score six of the next seven points to take the set 25-21.

Beyer once again led the Golden Eagles with six kills in the second frame, but MU struggled in the second set with a .129 (12-8-31) attack percentage after blistering the ball in the first.

Out of the intermission, the Mountaineers took control of the third set early and would not let go, taking a 25-18 victory. Marquette trailed 24-13 but scored five straight at the end of the set to bring its third set point total to 18.

Just as they had in the third, the Golden Eagles fell behind 7-3 to begin the fourth set. This time MU responded with six-straight points to take a 9-7 advantage. After the two-point MU lead, WVU responded to tie the score and would remain within one point until kills by Beyer and junior Rabbecka Gonyo put the Golden Eagles up 20-18. A kill by Bielski closed the scoring in the fourth to give MU a 25-23 victory.

Bielski was error free in the fourth frame while leading the Golden Eagles with six kills. West Virginia also helped the MU cause with five service errors in the stanza.

In the fifth frame, MU gained a 5-3 advantage on two-straight kills from Bielski but could not hold on, falling 15-11.

The Golden Eagles return home for their next two matches when they host Seton Hall in their BIG EAST home opener Friday at 7 p.m. at the Al McGuire Center. MU will also welcome Rutgers to Milwaukee on Sunday at 1 p.m.