The Shippensburg University volleyball team posted a split on Saturday for the second straight day against a pair of Mountain East Conference (MEC) opponents, first dropping a 3-1 decision to host West Liberty before coming back with a 3-1 win over Fairmont State in competition from the ASRC.
 
Shippensburg (7-5) lost to the Hilltoppers by scores of 25-16, 21-25, 21-25 and 22-25 before its triumph over the Fighting Falcons by scores of 25-19, 25-21, 23-25, 25-16.
 
The Raiders were right with West Liberty in each of the final three sets of the opening match (19-19 in second set, 18-17 in third set, 21-20 in fourth set) but ultimately could not close each frame. SU struggled with its serve, committing an overwhelming 21 service errors that were ultimately too much to overcome.
 
SU's hitting efficiency was excellent in both matches, however, as the Raiders swung .242 against West Liberty and followed that up with a .283 performance against Fairmont State. At the net, the Raiders combined for 15 blocks on the day – seven against the Hilltoppers and eight against the Fighting Falcons.
 
Junior Morgan DeFloria was exceptional, posting 34 kills, 34 digs and a .333 hitting percentage on the day. DeFloria had a match to remember against West Liberty, slamming 19 kills to just one error while hitting .450.
 
Sophomore Samantha Webber totaled 28 kills and six blocks while hitting .288 on 66 attempts. Webber was a standout against Fairmont State, crushing a career-high 19 kills with an exception .441 hitting efficiency over 34 attempts.
 
Sophomore Gabriella Johnson served six aces, bringing her team-leading season total to 21 through 12 matches. She also had 26 kills, 32 digs and a .177 hitting percentage.
 
Sophomore Kendall Johnson capped off an excellent weekend with just two errors over 41 attempts on the day. She had 15 kills, including eight without an error in the win over Fairmont State, to go along with six blocks.
 
Freshman Emily Hangen was a key to SU's hitting efficiency, collecting 101 assists for an average of more than 12 per set. She also had 19 digs, six kills and contributed to five blocks.
 
Sophomore Megan Forstburg finished the doubleheader with 32 digs and three aces. Junior Courtney Malott also had 32 digs and totaled 13 kills.
 
Shippensburg's next match will be its home opener and its conference opener. The Raiders will host Gannon at 7 p.m. Friday from Heiges Field House.