INSTITUTE, W.Va. – The West Virginia State University volleyball team only needed four sets to defeat Mountain East Conference (MEC) foes Charleston on Tuesday night at the Walker Convocation Center. The match finished 3-1 (31-29, 15-25, 25-21, 25-20) in favor of the Yellow Jackets after nearly two hours of action in an electrifying atmosphere.
"It was a crazy atmosphere against a quality opponent," stated head coach Kris Kern following the match. "Tonight proved that the rivalry between our schools is still very much alive."
The win means that WVSU is now an even 9-9 overall and remains undefeated in the MEC at 3-0. On the other side of the net, the loss drops UC to 5-14 overall and 0-3 in conference-play.
The Yellow Jackets shared attacking opportunities in the contest with four players ending up in double-digits for kills. Junior setter Brianna Brandt recorded a career-high 50 assists to lead all players in that category. Sophomore middle blocker Gabrielle Thompson registered a remarkable .526 hitting percentage by producing 11 kills on 19 total attempts.
The first set tested the wills of both squads. West Virginia State needed 31 points to claim it and overcame three set-point situations in the process. After UC tied the set at 29 all, back-to-back kills by Emily Davis and Gabrielle Bullock ensured that their fortitude was rewarded.
Following a full-on effort in the first set, the Yellow Jackets showed some fatigue in the second set and couldn't recover. The Golden Eagles ran away with it, 25-15.
The third set was nerve-wracking for WVSU. Charleston went up by as much as four points at one moment in the set and looked like the favorites after taking a 20-18 advantage. However, the resiliency of the Yellow Jackets shone through and they went on a 6-0 run to put doubt into the minds of their opponents. Thompson recorded the set-winning kill to give West Virginia State a 2-1 lead going into the fourth set.
By the fourth and final set, the Yellow Jackets were sure of themselves and streaked to a 25-20 win. Sophomore middle hitter J'Lana Stone logged the match-winning kill to earn bragging rights over Charleston until the next meeting.
West Virginia State had 58 kills as a team compared to 44 kills by Charleston in the contest. The Yellow Jackets also hit above .200 in every set except the one that they lost.
"We still haven't played our best match yet," said Kern during the postgame. "There are still some things that we can work on in practice this week to get even better."
WVSU plays Concord next on Friday, Oct. 11 at the Walker Convocation Center. The match is scheduled for 7 p.m.
