Photos by Emma Lentz
West Virginia volleyball entered Big 12 play with some momentum after finishing nonconference play with three straight wins at the UNT Invitational.
This week, the competition got a lot tougher.
WVU opened Big 12 play at home with two ranked opponents, facing No. 9 Arizona State on Friday and No. 11 TCU on Sunday. The Mountaineers split the two matches, but the weekend showed they can compete with some of the better teams in the conference.
And Friday night gave WVU one of the biggest
wins in program history.
WVU takes down No. 9 Arizona State
West Virginia opened conference play with a 3-2 win over No. 9 Arizona State at Hope Coliseum.
It was the highest ranked win in program history and only the sixth time WVU volleyball has beaten a ranked opponent.
The Mountaineers started the match strong, taking the first set 25-17. Arizona State responded by winning the next two, 25-17 and 25-16, putting WVU in a 2-1 hole.
But the Mountaineers did not go away.
The fourth set was close the entire way with 14 ties. WVU eventually pulled it out 26-24 after kills from Nina Horning and Maddy McGath, sending the match to a fifth set.
West Virginia took control early in the fifth and never gave up the lead, winning 15-12 to complete the upset.
Trinity Sheridan led WVU with 18 kills while hitting .395. Horning was right behind her with 17 kills and hit .455.
Freshman setter Lauren Duncan also stepped into a big role in her first career start, finishing with 25 assists. Alexis Finnvold added 24 assists, while freshman Reagan Turk led the team with 23 digs.
For a team entering its first Big 12 match of the season, it was about as good of a start as WVU could have asked for.
WVU gets another ranked test against TCU
There was not much time for the Mountaineers to celebrate.
Two days later, No. 11 TCU came to Morgantown and handed WVU its first conference loss, 3-1.
West Virginia once again came out strong and won the opening set 25-18. The Mountaineers hit .333 in the set while holding TCU to .147.
The second set was much closer, with 11 ties and five lead changes, but TCU eventually took it 25-22.
From there, the Horned Frogs started to take control.
TCU won the third set 25-19 before finishing the match with a 25-17 win in the fourth.
One of the biggest differences was WVU’s offense as the match went on. The Mountaineers hit .333 in the first set and .270 in the second, but that dropped to .174 in the third and .030 in the fourth.
Meanwhile, TCU hit .480 in the final set.
Sheridan led WVU again with 10 kills. Freshman Macie Smith finished with nine, while Horning and Anna Barr each added eight.
McGath also had a strong match with seven kills and no errors, hitting .583.
What did we learn about WVU?
WVU went 1-1 on the weekend, but considering both matches came against ranked teams, there was still a lot to like.
The biggest thing is that WVU showed it can compete with some of the better teams in the Big 12.
Beating No. 9 Arizona State proved that.
WVU could have easily let Friday’s match get away after losing the second and third sets, but instead the Mountaineers fought back and found a way to win.
The TCU match showed there is still work to do.
West Virginia played well early but wasn’t able to keep the same offensive production throughout the match. Against a team ranked No. 11 in the country, those stretches can quickly change the outcome.
WVU is also getting production from several different players.
Sheridan and Horning continue to lead the offense, while freshmen like Duncan, Turk and Smith are already taking on important roles.
Before the TCU match, WVU ranked second in the Big 12 in total blocks and third in team digs. Horning also entered the match leading the Mountaineers with 171 kills.
Last week, I wrote about the strong start WVU put together before entering Big 12 play. Now, the Mountaineers have gotten their first look at what conference play will bring.
It’s not going to get any easier, but WVU already showed it can hang with ranked competition.
Now it’s about doing it consistently.
West Virginia will head on the road to face Texas Tech on Friday, Oct. 2, before returning home to take on Houston on Oct. 4.
