INSTITUTE, W.Va. -- The West Virginia State University volleyball team swept Charleston, 3-0, in the quarterfinals of the MEC Tournament on Tuesday night. The Yellow Jackets extended their unbeaten streak against their crosstown rivals to six games with the victory.

"This was a solid performance from our squad," said Head Coach Kris Kern. "Beating a quality opponent three times in one season is difficult but I thought our team studied, prepared, and executed our game plan. 

"We took another step forward this year. First a divisional championship and now being selected to host the MEC Final Four as the number one seed. 

"This program has grown tremendously in four short years. I'm very proud."

WVSU improves to 10-1 in the Mountain East Conference with the win while UC finishes its season at 5-6 in the MEC.

Junior outside hitter Jenna Dufresne was the game's kills leader with 13 on the night. Fellow junior outside hitter Gabrielle Bullock was not far off with 11 kills of her own. Bullock also posted an impressive .400 hitting percentage. Freshman setter Peri Martin lobbed up 37 assists to her teammates. Fellow freshman Alex Darby kept the ball off the court with a game-high 17 digs.

The first set of the match was the only one that was moderately competitive. Even so, the Yellow Jackets never looked in doubt. They went up 9-3 early on and were never truly challenged by the Golden Eagles throughout. UC came within three points of tying, 16-13, towards the backend of the set. The next three points all went West Virginia State's way to keep Charleston from coming too close, 19-13. WVSU ended the first set with a Jordan West service ace, 25-16.

The second set was a complete thrashing by the Yellow Jackets. West Virginia State scored seven consecutive points in the beginning of the set to demoralize the Golden Eagles, 10-3. After that run was made by WVSU, there was no stopping the Yellow Jackets. They won the second set by a landslide, 25-8.

In the third set, West Virginia State went on a 14-1 run to make the sweep inevitable with an 18-3 lead. A double-block from Gabrielle Thompson and Gabrielle Bullock was responsible for the match-clinching point, 25-9.

Charleston never stood a chance with a .010 hitting percentage as a unit. Meanwhile, the Yellow Jackets racked up 43 kills compared to 18 by their opponents.

The semifinals and final of the MEC Tournament will be hosted by overall No. 1 seed West Virginia State at the Walker Convocation Center. WVSU will play the No. 2 seed from the North Division, Wheeling, at 7:30 p.m. after Fairmont State and Davis & Elkins square up at 5 p.m. on Friday, March 12th. The final is set for 6 p.m. on Saturday, March 13th.