West Virginia State University Athletics

BRIDGEPORT, W.Va. – The West Virginia State University volleyball team was picked to finish first in the Mountain East Conference (MEC) South Division when the league offices released its annual preseason poll on Monday afternoon. Meanwhile, Wheeling was picked to finish atop the MEC North Division.

For the spring of 2021, the conference has moved to divisional play. Each team is scheduled to play each team in its division twice to comprise the 10-game regular season. The top four teams in each division will advance to the MEC Tournament. The quarterfinals will be played on campus sites, and the semifinals and finals are slated to be played at a singular location. The regular season gets underway on Tuesday, Feb. 2.

The Yellow Jackets topped the South Division in the MEC Preseason Poll with 66 points and 11 first-place votes. They return three All-MEC selections in junior outside hitter Jenna Dufresne (First Team), junior middle blocker Gabrielle Thompson (Second Team), and junior outside hitter Gabrielle Bullock (Second Team). Dufresne was the offensive leader for West Virginia State last season with 355 kills while Thompson shored up the defense with 148 blocks, the third-highest total in all of NCAA Division II. Bullock contributed on both ends with 253 kills and 273 digs.

Davis & Elkins was picked to finish second in the South Division with 53 points and received the remaining first-place vote. Charleston was next with 49 points, followed by Concord (33), West Virginia Wesleyan (23) and Glenville State (22).

Wheeling was chosen to win the North Division with 65 points, including 10 first-place votes. The Cardinals will lean on two-time Libero of the Year Audrey Francis to lead an otherwise young roster this year. Behind the Cardinals was a three-way tie for second between Fairmont State, Notre Dame and West Liberty -- all with 46 points. Fairmont State collected two first-place votes. Alderson Broaddus (25) and Frostburg State (18) rounded out the North Division.

West Virginia State will open the season on Tuesday, Feb. 2 against Glenville State. The home match is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.

At this time, no spectators are allowed at any MEC events. All home and away matches can be viewed at mountaineast.tv or by downloading the Mountain East Conference app on your smart TV or streaming device (Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Roku).


MEC PRESEASON POLL

MEC North Division
1. Wheeling -- 65 (10)
T2. Fairmont State -- 46 (2)
T2. Notre Dame -- 46
T2. West Liberty -- 46
5. Alderson Broaddus -- 25
6. Frostburg State -- 18

MEC South Division
1. West Virginia State -- 66 (11)
2. Davis & Elkins -- 53 (1)
3. Charleston -- 49
4. Concord -- 33
5. West Virginia Wesleyan -- 23
6. Glenville State -- 22