INSTITUTE, W.Va. – The West Virginia State University volleyball team (22-4, 9-3 MEC) will travel to Glenville State (14-14, 3-9 MEC) on Tuesday before hosting West Virginia Wesleyan (6-20, 2-10 MEC) on Friday. Both games are scheduled for 7 p.m. starts. Friday night will be the last home game for West Virginia State so seniors will be honored before the match.

THE BUZZ AT STATE

The Yellow Jackets are currently in second place in the MEC South Division. They are two games behind Charleston and will play the Golden Eagles in the last game of the regular season. State swept both Concord and Frostburg State last week but went down in four tight-knit sets to Fairmont State on Friday. The top four teams in each division at the conclusion of the regular season will advance to the 2022 MEC Tournament.

WVSU is leading the conference in opponent hitting percentage (.116) and ranked sixth in the nation going into the week. Meanwhile, junior middle hitter Diamond'Nique Young is leading the league in hitting percentage (.409) and ranked eighth in the country at the moment. Fellow junior Kiersten Eggleton's five triple-doubles is the best mark in the MEC right now and the third-highest total in all of NCAA Division II. She registered back-to-back triple-doubles against Fairmont and Frostburg last week.

SCOUTING THE PIONEERS

Glenville State will have something to play for on Tuesday as the fourth-place team in the MEC South Division. The Pioneers would make the postseason as it stands, but they could be overtaken by fifth-place West Virginia Wesleyan in the final two weeks of the regular season. WVSU defeated GSU in four sets at the WVWC Invitational on Sept. 17 before sweeping Glenville at home on Sept. 23 during league play.

In spite of their record, the Pioneers are one of the best defensive sides in the conference. They give up fewer kills per set (9.63) and assists per set (8.64) than any other team in the MEC. Serving is also a strong suit of GSU. Glenville's 227 service aces is the best mark in the league.

Junior middle Katarzyna Niderla is Glenville's player to watch out for. She leads her team in points (444.5), kills (344), service aces (53), and total blocks (79).

SCOUTING THE BOBCATS

West Virginia Wesleyan will also have something to play for on Friday as the fifth-place team in the MEC South Division. The Bobcats will be fighting to overtake Glenville State for the fourth-seed in the 2022 MEC Tournament during the final two weeks of the regular season. The Yellow Jackets swept Wesleyan on the road when they last met on Sept. 30th.

The Bobcats give up less digs per set (12.84) than any other team in the MEC. They also have the worst hitting percentage (.101) in the conference so the lack of digs by opponents may actually be due to their lack of accuracy. Defensive specialist Autumn Molenhouse ranks in the top 10 in digs in the league with 266 to her name thus far.