Volleyball: Mountaineers Sweep St. John’s

By Kelly Tuckwiller for WVUsports.com
November 12, 2010 06:13 PM

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – With hopes of a BIG EAST Championship appearance still a possibility, the West Virginia University volleyball swept conference foe St. John’s this evening at the WVU Coliseum.

“I think St. John’s came out playing really good defense and we were having a hard time putting the ball away early,” coach Jill Kramer says. “We got our act together when we were down 20-10 in the first set and started to fight back. I think the end of the first set really set the tone for the rest of the match for us.”

The Mountaineers improved to 15-14 (5-8 BIG EAST) after defeating the Red Storm (18-12, 5-8 BIG EAST) in a 3-0 (28-26, 25-20, 25-20) match.

Down 10 points in the first set, the Mountaineers posted a comeback starting with a kill from senior Abby Norman that aided WVU to a 5-0 run. With the set tied at 23, the two teams traded points, until a kill from junior Michelle Kopecky and a St. John’s error secured the set for the Mountaineers.

West Virginia kept the momentum going in the second set as senior Lauren Evans posted five kills on a .714 hitting percentage, including the final kill of the set for the win.

Tied at three in the third set, Norman once again stepped up with a kill, followed by two from Kopecky for the WVU advantage. The Red Storm fought to come back, but could not contain the Mountaineers as junior Kylie Armbruster landed a kill for the win.

Three Mountaineers finished in double digits in kills. Kopecky led WVU with a team-high 13 kills, while Norman followed with 12 kills on a .455 hitting percentage and Evan posted 10.

The Mountaineers are set to complete the 2010 season on Sunday, Nov. 14, with a 2 p.m. match against Connecticut.

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