INSTITUTE, W.Va. – The West Virginia State University volleyball team hosted Davis & Elkins at the Walker Convocation Center on Saturday night and were outlasted by the Senators in five sets, 3-2. Being the final game of the regular season, senior Makala Cook was honored prior to the start of the contest for her four years of service to WVSU Volleyball.

West Virginia State (20-13, 12-4 MEC) finished the regular season tied for second place with Urbana in the league standings. On the opposite side of the net, Davis & Elkins (18-9, 11-5 MEC) concluded its regular season in fourth place in the MEC standings.

Sophomore outside hitter Jenna Dufresne led all players in the match with 22 points (19 kills, one service ace, and four block assists). On the other end of the attack was fellow sophomore outside hitter Gabrielle Bullock with 12 kills and 19 digs. Setting them up was junior Brianna Brandt with a match-high 49 assists. In the backcourt, sophomore Grace Martin filled in as libero and tallied a career-high 36 digs in her new role.

The opening set was a gritty, back-and-forth affair between the two sides. The Yellow Jackets went up 23-16 late in the set before the Senators rallied back. D&E made it up to 23 points prior to Dufresne ending the set with a fireball spike for the kill (25-23).

After narrowly losing the first set, D&E came back with a vengeance in the second set and claimed it easily, 25-10.

WVSU then reversed the fortunes in the third set and ran away with it in impressive fashion, 25-11.

The fourth set proved to be decisive as the Senators surged late to take it, 25-23. Up 2-1 in the match, the Yellow Jackets had Davis & Elkins on the ropes with a 21-16 advantage. D&E then went on a 9-2 run to even the contest at 2-2.

Davis & Elkins used its momentum from the end of the fourth set to win the fifth set, 15-7.

Team statistics were nearly identical for both squads. West Virginia State actually averaged a better hitting percentage than Davis & Elkins, 18.2 percent compared to 16.1 percent.

The Yellow Jackets will be the No. 3 seed at the upcoming 2019 MEC Volleyball Tournament (Nov. 21-23).  They open the tournament with a noon match against Notre Dame (Ohio) on Thursday, Nov. 21. The tournament will be hosted by Wheeling University.

*MEC Volleyball Tournament Central