FAIRMONT, W. Va. – The Slippery Rock University volleyball team concluded its time at the Fairmont State Volleyball Classic Saturday with a three-set loss to Walsh University and a four-set setback against host Fairmont State University.
 
Slippery Rock exits the opening weekend of the 2022 season with a 1-3 overall record. Walsh moved to 3-1 on the year while Fairmont State concluded the event at a perfect 4-0.
 
Slippery Rock was led Saturday by Abigail Nigon who totaled 19 kills on an impeccable .514 attack percentage to go with nine blocks (3 solo / 6 assisted). Fellow middle hitter Stephanie O'Donnell also posted five blocks (3 solo / 2 assisted) on the day.
 
Callie Chevalier added 14 kills as the freshman exits the weekend with a team-high 34 kills. Alayna Chizmar served five aces in the two matches while chipping in 11 kills.

WALSH 3 – SLIPPERY ROCK 0
Set Scores: 25-15, 25-7, 25-10
 
MATCH HIGHLIGHTS
• Nigon paced The Rock's efforts against the Cavaliers after going for seven kills (.400) and two blocks (one assisted / one solo).
• Chevalier and Chizmar chipped in six kills and four digs each with Chizmar also serving a pair of aces.
• Chelsie Wheeler and Mary Berger rounded out The Rock's offensive leaders with four kills apiece.
• Lauren VonderHaar made her collegiate debut, finishing the first match of her Rock career with two kills and one block.
• O'Donnell followed up her nine-block performance against Ursuline on Friday by registering three more rejections (one solo / two assisted).
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The opener was a back-and-forth contest with neither team leading by more than three points for much of the set until SRU pushed its advantage out to five at 20-15. However, Slippery Rock was unable to close out the early win as Walsh rallied back to end the set on an 11-4 run on the way to a 26-24 comeback win.
 
The second set saw both teams trade early runs but following a five-point surge by SRU Walsh called a timeout clinging to a one-point edge at 14-13. The Cavaliers excelled out of the break, capturing 11 of the final 12 points en route to a 25-14 victory.
 
A comeback wasn't to be for The Rock as Walsh once again excelled down the stretch of the third set, erasing a one-point SRU lead (16-15) for an eventual 25-18 match-clinching win.

FAIRMONT STATE 3 – SLIPPERY ROCK 1
Set Scores: 25-21, 25-19, 24-26, 25-16

MATCH HIGHLIGHTS
• Nigon had another great outing with 12 kills (.600) and seven total blocks.
• In a near double-double performance, Chevalier came away with eight kills, 10 digs and four blocks.
• Berger came off the bench to add six kills and a pair of aces while Chizmar served three aces of her own while compiling five kills.
• Jaeden Yost shared team-high honors with Chizmar with three aces as well as guiding the offense with 22 assists and making 13 digs for her third double-double of the weekend.
• Kate Lachendro made a season-best 25 digs.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Things seemed dire for The Rock early on in the first set as Fairmont State was able to open up a seemingly comfortable 11-point lead before a Rock rally trimmed its deficit to as little as two points on two separate occasions. However, FSU was ultimately able to hold off SRU long enough to pick up a tight 25-21 victory.
 
Following a 25-19 Fairmont State victory in the second set, Slippery Rock found itself in a must-win scenario. Trailing 16-8, Slippery Rock appeared destined for a three-set loss, but SRU came out of a timeout and steadily began to chip away at the deficit thanks to a 15-7 spurt that pulled The Rock even with the Falcons at 23-23.
 
SRU and FSU went on to trade points briefly before Slippery Rock registered back-to-back points, capped off by a Chevalier kill, to take the set 26-24 and force a fourth set.
 
The Rock carried their momentum from the third set into the fourth as they jumped out to a 7-1 advantage. However, the Falcons answered back with a run of their own, in the form of an 11-2 swing, to take a 12-9 lead they ultimately never relinquished as they pulled away for a 25-16 match-clinching victory.
 
UP NEXT
Slippery Rock continues non-conference competition with three matches at the Shark Invitational in Fort Lauderdale, Florida Sept. 2-3 against American International, Shaw and Nova Southeastern.





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