ATHENS, W.Va. – The West Virginia State University volleyball team traveled to Concord on Tuesday night for another Mountain East Conference matchup and came away with its third-straight victory, 3-1.

West Virginia State jumps to 5-1 in the MEC with the win while Concord falls to 0-4 in the league standings with the defeat.

Junior outside hitter Jenna Dufresne tied her career-high mark of 29 kills which she set against the same opponent in her freshman year. Her 33 points in the match did in fact mark a new career-high for the third year WVSU standout. Dufresne's four points not coming by way of kills were the result of two service aces, a block solo, and two block assists. She posted an astonishing .500 hitting percentage with 48 total attacks.

Sophomore libero Rachelle Madison and freshman setter Peri Martin also had career-high setting performances at Concord. Madison did so with 23 digs while Martin nabbed 59 assists.

Juniors Gabrielle Bullock and Gabrielle Thompson both had strong outings and contributed to the win with a combined 31 points. Bullock recorded 19 kills and a block assist while Thompson registered six kills, four block solos, and three block assists.    

The first set looked like it was going West Virginia State's way when the Yellow Jackets went up 9-3 with a kill from Bullock. The six-point lead taken early in the opening set was maintained over the next six rallies, 12-6. Concord then picked up some momentum with a 10-3 run that put the Mountain Lions ahead by one point, 16-15. Points were traded back and forth in the next few rallies before three consecutive attack errors by CU placed the Yellow Jackets in the driving seat, 23-21. Kills were traded by each side to create a set point opportunity for WVSU, 24-22. The Mountain Lions went on to score four unanswered to claim the first set, 26-24.

Concord carried its momentum over into the second set and jumped out to an 8-4 lead. The Yellow Jackets were not about to let another set go the other way, however, and went on a 12-3 tear to pull out in front by a five-point margin, 16-11. This time around, West Virginia State did not allow the Mountain Lions to come back. A kill from Dufresne awarded the second set to WVSU, 25-17, and evened the match at one set apiece.

By the third set, the Yellow Jackets were firing on all cylinders. Concord managed to keep up until the score reached 12-8 in favor of West Virginia State. Three kills by WVSU and two errors by CU over the ensuing five rallies then gave the Yellow Jackets a commanding nine-point advantage, 17-8. A kill from Bullock was responsible for the set-clinching point in the third, 25-15.

The fourth set was played out in a similar fashion to the third. The Mountain Lions were able to keep up early on and came within one point of drawing even, 9-8. Four kills by West Virginia State and two attack errors by Concord over the following six rallies then granted WVSU a seven-point cushion, 15-8. CU was unable to make up ground in the backend of the decisive set due to the overpowering attack of the Yellow Jackets. Another kill from Bullock put the fourth set to rest, 25-16, and ensured that the West Virginia State volleyball team was able to head back to Institute sooner rather than later.

After posting an underwhelming .132 hitting percentage in the first set, the Yellow Jackets were incredibly accurate with their attacks over the next three sets. They posted a .483 hitting percentage in the second set, then .457 in the third set, and finally .385 in the fourth.

West Virginia State will have a quick turnaround to get ready for its next match at Glenville State tomorrow, Feb. 24. The road warriors of WVSU are scheduled to play again at 7 p.m.