WILBERFORCE, OHIO – West Virginia State Volleyball continued its hot streak Wednesday, picking up a pair of wins at Beacom/Lewis Gym, defeating Central State 3-1 (25-15, 25-20, 31-33, 25-23) and taking down Wilmington College in straight sets (25-15, 25-22, 25-7).

The sweep over the Quakers was State's 10^th of the season, and the Yellow Jackets have dropped just two sets in their other two victories, moving to 12-2 on the season.

Senior Jenna Dufresne continued with her hot swinging, posting 33 kills on the afternoon, including 27 against Central State- a season-high and just two shy of her career-best of 29. Classmate Grace Martin put up 11 rejections at the net, tallying seven against Wilmington.

MATCH 1: WVSU 3, CENTRAL STATE 1
The squad opened the match with momentum, going up 10-2 in the opening stanza to build a steady lead. The team continued to maintain control, going up by 10 at 17-7 after a kill from sophomore Kiersten Eggleton.

Another kill by Eggleton, followed by a slam from senior Gabrielle Bullock put WVSU up 21-9. The Marauders tried to threaten with four of the final seven points, but a kill by Bullock secured the set 25-15.

The second set was a close-knit contest late into the frame, with the squads within the score within one as late as 20-19. The Yellow Jackets put up a 4-0 run featuring two Dufresne kills, to build some cushion at 23-18 and went on to take the game 25-20.

The third frame was a marathon event, featuring six set points before the Marauders kept the match alive with a 33-31 mark after three straight kills from hitter Ajanae Cressey. The set included a 6-0 run with a pair of Dufresne kills.

The Marauders carried the momentum into the early stages of what was ultimately became the finale, going up 10-5. Looking to stifle Central State's momentum, State picked up seven of the next nine points using a strong net game. The trio of Martin, Eggleton, and senior J'Lana Stone recorded the rare triple block assist, and Bullock added a solo rejection.

Within one at 13-12, State then used another six-point sequence to take a 19-16 lead, including three kills from Eggleton. Back-to-back kills from Martin and Bullock put State at match point and then secured the set and match for State at 25-23.

Eggleton tallied six kills, with Bullock posting 22, the second-best of the match and hitting at a .465 clip. Dufresne was narrowly behind at .431.

MATCH 2: WVSU 3, WILMINGTON COLLEGE 0
Defensive specialist Alex Darby topped the offense for the Yellow Jackets in the finale, registering a career-high 10 kills on a stellar .714 hitting efficiency.

After trading points back and forth to begin the contest, State registered six unanswered, including back-to-back service aces from Bullock, to go up 12-6. After a few Quaker points, the Yellow Jackets then used a 7-0 run, including back-to-back rejections from Dufresne and the duo of Martin and Eggleton, to go up by a 10-point advantage at 19-9.

Wilmington recorded four straight points to narrow the gap, but the Yellow Jackets tallied six of the final seven points to put the deficit back to 10, and then sealed the set with a 1-0 match lead on a Brooke Smith service ace.

Tied at 15 all in the second set, another block from the duo of Martin and Eggleton, followed by an Ashlynne Davis ace and Darby kill gave State some momentum at 18-15.

The squad continued to carry that control, putting up four consecutive points on a Martin ace and kill, Darby kill, and another slam, this one from Natalie Beer to put WVSU ahead 23-18.

A Stone kill put State at set point, but the Quakers made things interesting with a 3-0 run to narrow the margin to 24-22 before a Wilmington miscue handed State the 2-0 match lead.

The Yellow Jackets surrendered just seven points in the final frame, the second-best margin of points allowed this season.

Sophomore Peri Martin tallied four service aces in the match, dishing out eight assists. Eggleton added 10 with nine digs, and junior Jordan West tallied a team-best 12.

UP NEXT
The Yellow Jackets continue with Mountain East Conference action, traveling to Glenville State Friday for a 7 p.m. first serve. Live stats and video will be available.