INSTITUTE, W.VA. – Fresh off their clinch of the Mountain East Conference's South Division for the second-straight season, West Virginia State Volleyball returns to Walker Convocation Center for their final two matches of the regular season.
WVSU welcomes Davis & Elkins for a Tuesday tilt, and then wraps up the regular season by hosting cross-county rivals Charleston in a special Friday matinee. Tuesday's contest will be at 7 p.m., while Friday's first serve is at 3 p.m.
Live streaming and stats will be available for both events and can be found in the links provided.
THE SCOOP ON (REGIONALLY RANKED) STATE
The Yellow Jackets currently rank sixth in the Atlantic Region rankings, released for the first time last week. Fellow MEC foes Wheeling (1st) and West Liberty (9th) also made an appearance. These are the first regional rankings since 2019.
State boasts an impressive 25-3 ledger, having dropped just one conference match all season at 13-1. They remain undefeated at home, and have won 20 consecutive sets, dating back to their thrilling five-set upset over Wheeling on October 22.
The Yellow Jackets swept 12 of their 14 conference opponents, and have dropped just 13 sets all season.
JUST KILLING IT, NATIONALLY
Early into the 2021 campaign, senior Jenna Dufresne eclipsed the 1,000 career kill mark, and currently sits in third all-time in WVSU history with 1,236. Dufresne's 370 kills this season puts her in the Top 20 nationally in the statistic, and her 4.39 kills per set is eighth-best in the country.
Fellow veteran Grace Martin is also nationally ranked, boasting the fourth-best blocks per set mark at 1.35. Her 119 total rejections is seventh-best.
As a team, the Yellow Jackets carry Top 10 rankings in three separate categories, and are in the Top 20 in another. State is fourth overall in opponent hitting percentage, limiting foes to just a .103 clip. The squad is also ranked fifth-best with a .285 hitting efficiency of their own, and is also fifth in win-loss percentage (.893). They're 13th overall in total team blocks with 231.
SCOUTING THE SENATORS
Davis & Elkins sits directly behind State in the South Division, boasting a 13-12 record overall and 10-4 in the MEC. The team is coming off a sweep of Concord at home, but suffered a five-set loss to Charleston earlier in the week, and dropped matches in straight sets to both Wheeling and West Liberty the last week of October.
Senior Macie Magallon leads the league and ranks third in the country with 420 kills. Her 5.0 kills per set is first nationally.
Last meeting: State made quick work of D&E in Elkins, sweeping the Senators in early October. Magallon registered a match-best with 20 slams, while the Yellow Jackets' Dufresne recorded 10. Martin and sophomore Natalie Beer each tallied four blocks in the contest.
SCOUTING THE GOLDEN EAGLES
Charleston enters the week with a 19-9 record, and is 11-5 in conference play. UC will host Concord Tuesday and compete in a non-conference matchup Thursday with Central State before heading over to Institute to face State Friday.
UC registered three straight sweeps last week, taking down Glenville State in straight sets before another pair of non-con victories with Salem and Bluefield State.
Leading the way for the Golden Eagles is sophomore Sage Bearnson with 334 kills. Classmate McKenzie Carpenter boasts a team-best 62 blocks.
Last meeting: It was a tale of two sets in the last matchup between UC and WVSU, as the Yellow Jackets limited Charleston to a 25-12 second frame before battling through an extra-point affair in the finale, 29-27, as State swept in Charleston. Dufresne posted 15 kills while Bearnson tallied 10. Beer had a match-best six rejections.
UP NEXT
WVSU will begin preparing for the Mountain East Conference tournament. The tournament field and matchups have not been confirmed as the league enters its final week of play, but State's spot is guaranteed.
