The Mountaineers fell 3-2 to Oklahoma on Saturday to cement a 9-22 overall record and 2-16 conference record this season.
West Virginia struggled right off the bat in the Sooners’ senior night, as seven of their first 10 points were solely gained from Oklahoma errors, and the team trailed 13-10. As 6’3″ sophomore Bailey Miller moved back into the front row, however, West Virginia began to take control of their own fate in the match.
Miller and right side Tierney Jackson led the team in back-to-back three point runs, marked by two kills from Miller and two blocks and a kill from Jackson. The runs gave the Mountaineers a 15-13 lead, and, after it was briefly taken away by the scoring streak that followed, WVU took care of their advantage to win the set 25-22.
Jackson, who played middle as a freshman last season, started there this year before moving to the right side after an early injury to 6’4″ sophomore Lauren Bodily. She has remained the team’s third hitting option and one of the best blockers at the net since, marking the third most kills and points per set of all Mountaineers this season.
The Mountaineers ran the same system entering the second set, with Bailey Miller quickly earning three kills in the Mountaineers’ first four-point run. Once Miller moved to the back row, though, the set took a sharp shift into a defensive emphasis.
The set was marked by long rallies and repeated digs from Camilla Covas, Quincey Coyle, and setter Lauren DeLo. To start, the Mountaineers ended on the winning side of most longer points, but as Oklahoma put more pressure on the defense, the team began to lose composure.
Four straight West Virginia errors made them turn their already thin lead into a 14-11 deficit. Tierney Jackson got a kill to end the streak, but it was matched the next play by outside hitter Daleigh Ellison, forcing a Reed Sunahara timeout at 15-12.
West Virginia never regained momentum in the set, even after a second timeout at 21-14, and Oklahoma came out of it with a 25-15 victory. Ellison picked up three kills, which was matched by middle blockers Lydia Burts and Kelsey Carrington, who had three and four kills respectively.
The Mountaineers fought in the third set to bring their hitting percentage of zero back to .212. The set started back and forth between the two teams and stayed that way for the majority until three straight timeouts between Sunahara and Oklahoma head coach Aaron Mansfield turned a 17-17 tie into eight straight Sooners points, resulting in a 25-19 win for them.
Early in the fourth set, Oklahoma made several errors on serve receive, resulting in three aces in the Mountaineers’ first 10 points. WVU led 10-6 soon before a four point run forced a West Virginia timeout, up 13-11.
The tight set saw three more runs of three points from Oklahoma, with the third earning them a 23-20 lead, but a pair of kills from Bailey Miller and freshman middle Maddy McGath forced a Sooners timeout. The call earned Oklahoma a kill from Lydia Burts on the next possession, but it was followed by two from Hailey Green, tying the set at 24.
Oklahoma made four errors in the points that followed, including two missed serves, resulting in a 28-26 win for the Mountaineers.
West Virginia capitalized on the momentum for an early 4-1 lead in the final set, but it was all Oklahoma afterwards. The Sooners had nine kills in the 15-9 set victory.
The match was also the last for the Sooners this season, who ended with an 11-17 record after the victory. West Virginia has already announced three new recruits for next season, and with DeLo and Covas standing as the team’s only current seniors, the Mountaineers appear to be in a good place for 2024.
Photo from WVU Volleyball
