HONOLULU, Hawaii – The West Virginia State University volleyball team traveled to Honolulu for the Hawaii Challenge Tournament that lasted from Thursday through Saturday. The Yellow Jackets faced tough opponents in Sonoma State, Hawaii Pacific, Chaminade, and Hawaii-Hilo over the duration of the tournament. They dropped all four matches, but were able to find a way to win in the first set versus Hawaii Pacific and the third set against Hawaii-Hilo.
WVSU falls to 0-4 overall at the conclusion of the Hawaii Challenge, but its conference record remained unaffected by the losses.
Match 1 (West Virginia State vs. Sonoma State)
West Virginia State's first match of the tournament resulted in a sweep by the Sea Wolves (17-25, 19-25, 17-25).
Sophomore middle blocker Gabrielle Thompson was the standout performer for WVSU in its first match. She led all players with eight blocks and added a team-leading four kills as the dominant presence in the middle of the net.
The Yellow Jackets had their best performance in the third set when they went up by as much as four points, 7-3, and were even with SSU up until the set was tied at 14-all. Sonoma State went on to score five unanswered points to break the deadlock and subsequently created the separation needed to win the decisive third set.
Match 2 (West Virginia State vs. Hawaii Pacific)
Hawaii Pacific was able to defeat West Virginia State in four sets in WVSU's second match of the tournament (25-23, 20-25, 18-25, 17-25).
Junior setter Ashton Barr posted an impressive 30 assists in the second match and tallied seven kills to boot. Junior outside hitter Devon Putnam stepped up in a defensive role for the Yellow Jackets and totaled a team-high 18 digs to keep the ball off of the hardwood.
West Virginia State won the first set, 25-23, after going up by as much as seven points. The Sharks battled back from a 21-14 deficit to get within one point of the Yellow Jackets, 24-23. Sophomore outside hitter and former MEC Freshman of the Year Gabrielle Bullock spiked a ball set from Barr to ensure that WVSU took the first set. The next three sets would go in favor of HPU.
Match 3 (West Virginia State vs. Chaminade)
West Virginia State's third match of the tournament ended in a sweep by the Swords (22-25, 17-25, 21-25).
Sophomore outside hitter Jenna Dufresne had a team-high eight points. She led WVSU with seven kills and attributed two block assists in the defeat.
The Yellow Jackets came closest to stealing the first set of the match. Down 24-20, they picked up two consecutive points after a kill by sophomore outside hitter Grace Martin and an attack error by their opponents. The rally fell short, however, as Chaminade got the kill it needed to take the first set. CU went on to take the next two sets and, therefore, the match.
Match 4 (West Virginia State vs. Hawaii-Hilo)
West Virginia State dropped its fourth match of the tournament to Hawaii-Hilo in four sets (22-25, 23-25, 25-23, 14-25).
The top players for the Yellow Jackets all found their rhythm in the final match. Dufresne posted a game-high 13 kills and team-high seven digs. Bullock was not far behind with 10 kills and six digs. Thompson accounted for nine block assists and eight kills, while Barr tallied 36 assists in a match that was neck-and-neck until the last set.
After coming up short in the opening two sets of the match, the Yellow Jackets finally got the result that they deserved in the third set. A kill by Bullock put WVSU up 24-22 before the Vulcans came up with a kill of their own to get back within one point, 24-23. Dufresne then slammed down one of her trademark spikes for the set point and denied a tiebreak from ensuing. Hawaii-Hilo won the fourth set to claim the match.
West Virginia State returns home for the WVSU Invitational on Friday, Sep. 13 and Saturday, Sep. 14. The Yellow Jackets will take on opponents from the PSAC beginning with a 10 a.m. match against Shippensburg on Friday and wrapping up with a 7 p.m. match versus Slippery Rock on Saturday.
