Box Score
WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. -- The Notre Dame Falcons pulled off a big upset in the first round of the Mountain East Conference Tournament on Tuesday night, defeating West Liberty in five sets to advance.

The win for the Falcons (6-26, 3-13) was their second in their last three matches on the road, and sets up a meeting with Charleston (W.Va.) on Thursday at noon.  The loss for the Hilltoppers (12-19, 7-9) was their second in three matches against NDC, and brings their season to an end.

West Liberty entered as the higher seed, wrapping up the sixth seed in the tournament, while the Falcons entered as the 11th seed.  The seeding didn't seem to bother Notre Dame from the beginning of the match, as they took the first two sets. 

Every single set was tight, as the first four sets featured contests that were decided by three points or less for the right to advance to the second round. 

Notre Dame won the opening set, 25-23, and responded with another close victory, taking set two, 25-22.  West Liberty fought back, and extended the contest with a 25-22 victory in the third set, then forced a fifth set, with a 28-26 win in the fourth set. 

The Falcons rallied, and hit .263 in the final set, as they came away with the victory in set five, 15-8.

Lindsay Shirilla paced the Falcons with 16 kills on the night, while Kristen Hill and Suzanne Morris added nine, and Taylor Thomas contributed with eight.  Thomas and Angela Bush led the way up front for  NDC defensively with six blocks each.  Shelby Regiec had 61 assists and was one of four Falcons with double digit digs, with 11.  Brittany Perrott led the way with 32, Morgan Toman had 23, and Ryan Moriarty added 13. 

"We made it very exciting, but in the end, our girls played like champions and prevailed," said Head Coach Mark Ridley.

The Falcons are in action on Thursday, Nov. 21, when they square off against Charleston, in the second round of the Mountain East Conference Tournament in Wheeling, W.Va.  The contest is scheduled for a noon start.