WEST LIBERTY, W.VA. – West Virginia State Volleyball dropped its first five-set contest of the season Tuesday, falling 2-3 (25-13, 25-27, 24-26, 25-15, 12-15) to West Liberty in a cross-divisional Mountain East Conference battle.
The loss was also State's first in league play, as the squad slips to 18-3 on the year and 7-1 in the MEC. West Liberty improves to 14-10 overall and 5-3 in conference action.
The Yellow Jackets boasted a pair of double-digit performances, with senior Jenna Dufresne tallying a match-best 22 and classmate Gabrielle Bullock adding 18. Fellow veteran J'Lana Stone was impressive at the net, posting nine total blocks, her best total since 2018 (12 vs. Notre Dame).
Sophomore Peri Martin dished out a season-high 32 assists, and classmate Alex Darby tallied a career-best 28 digs.
"We led in every statistic except set scores," head coach Kris Kern said. "We even outscored them 111-96 in the match, but it came down to they made the big plays when they needed to."
After the Hilltoppers opened up play by taking the first three of four points, State found its rhythm, securing 12 of the next 14 points, including a 6-0 run that featured a pair of Dufresne kills and a block from the duo of sophomore Natalie Beer and Stone, to give the Yellow Jackets a hefty advantage at 13-5.
After another rally for State pushed their lead to as high as 10 at 17-7, the Hilltoppers attempted to chip away, scoring four of the next six points to narrow the gap to 19-11.
Back-to-back slams from Dufresne pushed WVSU back to a 10-point cushion at 21-11, and then a 3-0 run that featured a Grace Martin ace and kill and block from Beer and Dufresne pushed the Yellow Jackets at set point. A kill from Beer sealed the set 25-13 and gave State a 1-0 match lead.
Despite State building a 3-0 lead to begin the second frame, West Liberty responded with three consecutive points of their own and continued to play cat-and-mouse with the Yellow Jackets.
The Hilltoppers turned in a five-point rally to tie the contest at 10-10 and then take control, gaining momentum and building a lead as wide as 18-12.
The Yellow Jackets rallied for six straight points to trim the deficit and tie the contest once again at 18-18. The 6-0 run featured a kill by Beer, a solo rejection from Stone, and three consecutive West Liberty miscues.
A battle ensued late in the frame, as the two squads endured eight separate ties from the 18-18 mark and went through three set points. State looked to be through the threat after going up 24-23 on a Dufresne kill, and then again at 25-24 on another block from the Beer/Stone duo, before three straight points for the Hilltoppers helped them steal the set 27-25 and even the match.
It was the first set the Yellow Jackets have dropped in MEC play and snapped a streak of 22 straight sets won.
Looking to regroup, State powered out of the Set 3 by picking up the first four points courtesy of a Bullock kill and a Darby service ace sandwiching two HIlltopper errors. West Liberty cut the lead down to a single point, and the Yellow Jackets turned in another three consecutive points to return their lead to four at 7-3.
WVSU maintained the four-point advantage at the 12-8 mark and again at 13-9 before the HIlltoppers turned in a 6-0 rally to tie the match and switch the momentum with a 15-13 lead. In a feeling of déjà vu from the second set, the squads began a back-and-forth affair, reaching three ties by the 19-19 mark.
WLU regained the lead before big-time kills from Bullock and sophomore Kiersten Eggleton tied the contest once more at 23-23 and forced extra set points for the second-straight set. A rejection from Eggleton and Grace Martin pushed State to set point at 24-23, but the Hilltoppers tied the set again once more with a kill and took advantage of back-to-back Yellow Jacket errors to take a 2-1 match lead at 26-24.
Looking to force a fifth frame, State had to play catchup, falling behind 8-4 after WLU went on a 4-0 run early in the set. The Yellow Jackets responded promptly, as freshman Ashlynne Davis served the team through nine straight points, a sequence that featured three blocks from Beer and Bullock.
With a 15-10 advantage, State continued to carry the momentum, using another rally featuring the senior duo of Stone and Bullock, who each tallied a kill and together posted a block to add some cushion at 18-11. The Yellow Jackets controlled the remainder of the frame, going on a 6-1 run to close out the set 25-15 and force a fifth set for their first time this season.
In a repeat from the fourth frame, West Liberty broke out with the lead, securing five consecutive points to go up 10-4 and reaching match point at 14-7. Refusing to quit, the Yellow Jackets registered three straight kills from junior Emily Davis and a back-to-back from Dufresne to narrow the gap to 14-10 and force a Hilltopper timeout.
Another set of back-to-back slams from Dufresne continued the threat for State at 14-12, but a decisive final kill from West Liberty allowed the Hilltoppers to pull off the comeback and the upset.
Beer finished the match with eight blocks, a career best.
UP NEXT
The Yellow Jackets return home, welcoming North Division leaders Wheeling for a Friday faceoff. First serve is slated for 7 p.m., with live stats and video available.
