By: James Garcia, Sports Information Director
INSTITUTE, W.Va. – The West Virginia State University volleyball team swept West Virginia Wesleyan (25-21, 25-11, 25-17) on Saturday before sweeping both Kent State-Tuscarawas (25-11, 25-15, 25-11) and Ohio-Lancaster (25-10, 25-11, 25-13) on Sunday. Including the win over Davis & Elkins on Friday, the Yellow Jackets claimed 12 consecutive sets over the past three days.
WVSU improves to 8-9 overall with the trio of wins and remains undefeated in the Mountain East Conference (MEC) at 2-0 after the victory over WVWC.
In the match at West Virginia Wesleyan, sophomore outside hitter Jenna Dufresne posted 15 kills and 10 digs. Junior setter Brianna Brandt had a career-day with an incredible 43 assists. Sophomore outside hitter Gabrielle Bullock and sophomore middle hitter J'Lana Stone benefitted from Brandt's setting ability, combining for 19 kills between the two players. Furthermore, sophomore middle blocker Gabrielle Thompson dispatched five blocks in the contest.
After picking up their second conference win of the season, Head Coach Kris Kern was elated with his players' performances.
"J'Lana Stone and Brianna Brandt played on another level today," said Kern. "Bullock and Dufresne were solid too. Many teams lose power when one hitter rotates to the back, but we're blessed to have no drop off."
Following the trip to Buckhannon, W.Va., the Yellow Jackets then headed to Lancaster, Ohio for a doubleheader. They started their road trip in Elkins, W.Va. on Friday with a 7 p.m. match against D&E and followed it up with a 10 a.m. match versus WVWC on Saturday.
Showing no signs of fatigue, West Virginia State put together back-to-back dominant displays against Ohio-Lancaster and Kent State-Tuscarawas on Sunday afternoon.
Dufresne registered 16 kills, while Bullock recorded 15 kills in the doubleheader. Sophomore middle blocker Gabrielle Thompson was not far behind with 12 kills. Brandt added 56 assists to her weekend totals and tallied eight service aces to boot. Moreover, Stone came up with six blocks by the end of the day.
On the trip back to Institute, Head Coach Kris Kern finally had a chance to reflect on what his team accomplished over the long weekend.
"The Yellow Jackets were road warriors this weekend and I couldn't be more proud," remarked Kern. "They showed great energy throughout and improved with every match. We really grew as a team over these last three days."
West Virginia State faces rivals Charleston next in a MEC contest on Tuesday, Oct. 8. The match will take place at 7 p.m. inside the pristine confines of the Walker Convocation Center.
