ELKINS, WV --The Virginia State Volleyball team (0-2) came up short to the hosts Davis & Elkins despite showing heart in the third set (13-25, 15-25, 26-24, 12-25) at Davis & Elkins University's Top Hat Classic in Elkins, WV.


Freshman Amaya Cooper found a rhythm in just her second collegiate match finishing with eight kills on the day to lead the Trojans offense. Cooper also added four blocks along with fellow freshman Kelsea Saulny. Makenzy Johnson was able to end with 13 assists in the contest. Defensively, Kennedy Hoge accumulated 14 digs.
 

Game Notes

• Amaya Cooper led the team in two categories with 10 points, eight kills and four blocks in the loss.
• Najlaa Williams earned double-digit digs for her second contest in a row.
• Virginia State earned the edge in blocks 6-3.

 

How It Happened
First Set | Much like the first match, the Trojans battled back-and-forth with the Senators to take an early 6-5 lead. D&E would use two separate scoring runs to their advantage to take a 21-9 lead. While the Trojans attempted to battle back to make it interesting, the Senators took the first set 25-13.  

Second Set | After D&E hopped out to a 6-1 lead, Amaya Cooper and Alexis McNair earned back-to-back kills to knot the score at six. Unfortunately, the Senators broke the tie with five straight points. While the Trojans stayed relatively close, the Senators were able to close out the set 25-15.

Third Set | For the first time in two games, the Trojans took an early lead 5-1 thanks to mistakes made by the home team. VSU was able to increase their lead to as much as 9-3 before the Senators were able to cut the lead down to just one point at 14-13. The tandem of Cooper and McNair helped the Trojans extend their lead to 17-13 thanks to key kills from them both. Shortly after, D&E won six of the next seven points to take the lead 19-18. The two teams saw a series of ties until the score came to 24 all. Veteran Alexis McNair earned the final point of the set with a powerful swing to help VSU win their first set of the season, 26-24.

Fourth Set | Early on in the fourth set, the Senators went on a five point run to give the home squad an 11-3 lead. The Senators would not look back as they went on to take the set 25-12, which gave them the win.  


What's Next
Virginia State will have a short memory as they prepare to take on Lock Haven at 1:00 p.m. in the Top Hat Classic.  
 
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