INSTITUTE, W.VA. – In their 2021 regular season finale, West Virginia State Volleyball capped a historic season by taking down cross-county rivals Charleston 3-1 Friday in Walker Convocation Center by scores of 24-26, 25-14, 25-21, 25-14.
State finishes its regular-season campaign at 27-3, the most wins in program history. With a 15-1 ledger in conference play, the Yellow Jackets finish as regular season champions of the Mountain East and will host the MEC Tournament, slated for Nov. 18-20.
"What a storybook ending," head coach Kris Kern said. "Jenna Dufresne goes down in the heat of the battle, and Emily Davis, without even warming up, comes in and is banging the ball. Amanda McGlone, who has fought back from every knee injury you could possibly have, to just be cleared today..and I was able to get her in and she got the game-ending kill… So it's an exciting day for us."
"We're still pushing to get a NCAA bid," Kern continued," but it was a great environment. I think if the game would have been at its original time at 7 o'clock, we would have sold out, because the crowd was really big anyway … Our 27-3 record is a school record, hosting the Mountain East, and possibly getting an NCAA berth- it's an exciting time but it is very fitting that the seniors we have are going out in such style, because they deserve it. They are great student athletes, in every sense of the word."
Freshman Natalie Beer set a career-high with 17 kills in the contest, a match-best at a .483 hitting efficiency. Beer also registered six total blocks, including a solo rejection. Other double-digit killers include the senior duo of Jenna Dufresne and Grace Martin with 11 and 10, respectively, and sophomore Kiersten Eggleton, also with 10. Eggleton recorded her first ever triple double, adding 13 digs and dishing out 28 assists.
Martin tallied eight total blocks, falling one shy of her season best, and hit at an incredible .556 clip. Sophomore Peri Martin recorded a double-double with 20 assists and 10 digs. Classmate Alex Darby led the way with a match-best 21 digs, while junior Rachelle Madison added 18.
The opening stanza was a closely contested affair, as the two squads traded points for most of the set. Down 23-21, State secured three consecutive points, courtesy of a UC error, a block from Beer and Dufresne, and then kill from Dufresne, to go up 24-23 and be at set point.
The Golden Eagles rallied, capitalizing on a pair of attack errors and a kill from team leader Sage Bearnson to tie the set at 24 and subsequently steal the frame at 26-24.
WVSU responded with momentum in the second set, surrendering just five points to UC at the 19-5 mark. The run featured three blocks from the duo of Grace Martin and Dufresne, and another solo rejection from Martin.
State continued to control Set 2, going up 22-7 after a kill from Eggleton. A slam from Beer brought the squad to set point at 24-10, before UC rallied for four straight points to threaten. A Grace Martin kill stifled the threat, tying the match at 1-1 after a 25-14 mark.
The third set played out much like the first during the early stages, as the two teams played cat-and-mouse and were tied as late as 19-19. A kill from Eggleton and a block from Beer and senior Gabrielle Bullock gave the Yellow Jackets the lead at 21-19, and then a 4-1 run finished the frame for State that featured kills from Eggleton, Beer, and G. Martin to put WVSU in match control, up 2-1 at 25-21.
In a déjà vu feeling from the second frame, the Yellow Jackets ignited early, registering eight of the first nine points of the set, including four kills from Beer. The Golden Eagles responded to narrow the gap to just one point at 9-8, but the threat was short lived as State again went on an 8-1 run, including seven in a row on two Beer kills, and a G. Martin kill and ace, to build a 17-9 cushion. During the frame, Dufresne went down with an injury, and junior Emily Davis understood the task at hand, registering two big-time kills during the frame.
Another rally for State featured a late surge by Bullock, as the Yellow Jackets registered five consecutive points to go up 23-12. UC looked like another threat may occur with back-to-back points, but Beer once again brought the squad to match point, and junior Amanda McGlone, making her first appearance of the season, delivered the final decisive slam to seal the victory for the Yellow Jackets at 3-1 (25-14).
UP NEXT
WVSU will host the Mountain East Conference Tournament next week, beginning Thursday, November 18. Times, seedings, and opponents will be released at a later date. All matches will be available on live stats and live stream.
