PITTSBURGH - Point Park came into Tuesday's matchup against West Liberty having won two of its last three games, and it marked the first home game for the Pioneers since Sept. 16 versus California (PA).
During the stretch, both wins came against conference opponents, with victories at Davis & Elkins and Frostburg State. The Pioneers went 6-1 in the seven sets played in those matches, with their only set loss coming in a 3-1 win against the Bobcats.
On Tuesday against West Liberty, Point Park dropped the first set, 25-22, despite a back-and-forth battle that was tied at 22 apiece. However, West Liberty rallied for three-straight points to take the set. West Liberty followed by taking the second set, 25-20, and secured the third set, 25-17, to win the match in straight sets.
Point Park moved to 2-2 in conference play and 3-11 overall.
Point Park hit .061 in the match, while West Liberty posted a .167 hitting percentage. West Liberty also led statistically in kills (35-26) and assists (32-26). Freshman
Avery Budrys Rini paced the team with a match-high 28 attacks and a team-high nine kills on the evening.
Alex Koontz and
Nicole Reasbeck had six kills apiece.
Marianna Oyola-Rivera entered the match averaging 7.79 assists per set, the second-highest mark in the MEC. She led Point Park with 24 assists on Tuesday and has led the team in assists in every contest this season. Oyola-Rivera also recorded seven digs and an ace on Tuesday.
Savannah Kitchen led the team in blocks with three on Tuesday. Defensively,
Lily Marchand recorded nine digs.
Point Park will be back in action on Friday at 7 p.m. in the Student Center to take on Fairmont State.
