UND falls to West Virginia in Five Frame Thriller

MORGANTOWN, W. Va. – The North Dakota volleyball team fell to West Virginia 3-2 (21-25, 26-24, 25-18, 22-25, 15-9) on Thursday evening from WVU Coliseum. UND falls to 0-3, while the Mountaineers improve to 4-0.

The Hawks were able to win set one for the first time this season, as they manufactured season highs in kills (48), assists (44), hitting percentage (.162) and digs (49) overall.

Paige Barber registered a career best 19 kills, including nine in the first set. Freshmen Kimanni Rugley (8) and Matthea Dalton (7) combined for 15 kills, with Rugley’s eight kills being good for a career high.

Marianna Rivera swatted a career best seven total blocks, along with Barber who tallied a career high five total blocks. Izzie McCormick recorded her 48th career game with 10 or more digs, as she had a team high 11 digs.

Set one was impressive from the Hawks, as they recorded 13 kills on a .321 save percentage. Barber had nine of those, on a .643 hit percentage, as the set featured 10 ties and two lead changes. It was back and forth, with UND trailing 14-11 and 15-14 before a media timeout. From the timeout, North Dakota used an 11-7 burst to end the set, with Barber totaling the last five points of the set to take the frame 25-21.

The second set was a heartbreaker, as UND held a lead for the whole set up until the score being tied at 22-22. North Dakota did not trail until the Mountaineers took a 25-24 lead, eventually tacking on one more point, to fall 26-24. The frame featured just one lead change and five ties.

The Hawks dropped set three by a 25-18 margin, as they never led in the set. UND trailed by as many as seven, with Barber leading the way, capturing four kills.

With their backs against the walls, the Fighting Hawks took set four 25-22 in wire-to-wire fashion. UND led by as many as eight, with Rugley leading the way with three kills.

In set five, North Dakota did not lead. The Hawks were within striking distance, trailing 9-6, but WVU used a 6-3 run to take the match in five sets.

North Dakota will be back in action tomorrow against Coppin State at 2 p.m. on ESPN+.

Postgame Notes

• North Dakota falls to 1-1 all-time against West Virginia
• The Hawks won the first of the match for the first time this season
• UND drops to 0-2 this season in five set matches
• Paige Barber (19) and Kimanni Rugley (7) recorded career highs in kills
• Marianna Rivera (7) and Barber (5) each knotted career highs in total blocks
• Izzie McCormick had a season high 11 kills, good for her 48th career match with 10 or more kills
• North Dakota set season bests in kills (48), assists (44), hitting percentage (.162) and digs (49)
• Sadie White dished out a game high 29 assists, giving her 84 assists through her first three games
• Barber’s 19 kills were the most in a UND match since Oct. 28, 2021, when Lexi Ahrens had 25 kills against Western Illinois

How It Happened
Set 1: UND 25-21
Set 2: West Virginia 26-26
Set 3: West Virginia: 25-18
Set 4: UND: 25-22
Set 5: West Virginia 15-9

For more information on North Dakota Volleyball, visit Fightinghawks.com or follow-on social media @UNDvolleyball.

–UND–