BUCKHANNON — West Virginia Wesleyan volleyball fell in straight sets to Fairmont State (23-25, 11-25, 23-25) on Saturday afternoon at the Rockefeller Center.
The opening set was a back-and-forth battle, featuring six ties and two lead changes. Senior outside hitter MacKenna Halfin came out strong for Wesleyan, finding success with sharp cross-court attacks, while Lacey Guthrie set a balanced offense that kept Fairmont guessing. After a 21-21 deadlock, the Falcons capitalized on a late service run to edge the Lady Bobcats, 25-23
Fairmont State found its rhythm in the second frame, hitting an impressive .407 as a team while limiting Wesleyan’s attack to a negative percentage. Despite solid serve-receive play from libero Alexis Moeschler, who led the Lady Bobcats with 13 digs, Fairmont’s front line dominated at the net. The Falcons’ quick offense and well-placed serves disrupted the Lady Bobcats’ tempo, resulting in a 25-11 set win.
Wesleyan responded with renewed energy in the third set, jumping out to an early lead behind Halfin and Emonie Fennell, who combined for 20 of the team’s 32 kills on the night. Faith Grafton provided a spark from the service line with four aces, and Bhrooke Axe anchored the defense at the net with two block assists. The Lady Bobcats rallied late to close the gap to 23-24, but Fairmont sealed the sweep on a final kill to claim the set, 25-23
As a team, Wesleyan hit .092 (32 kills, 21 errors, 119 attempts), while Fairmont State posted .241 (40 kills, 13 errors, 112 attempts).
Wesleyan hosts the University of Charleston Tuesday, Oct. 28 at 7 p.m.
