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West Virginia State University Athletics

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VB22 Team
0
Davis & Elkins D&E 8-7,1-2 MEC
3
Winner West Virginia St. WVSt 15-1,2-0 MEC
Davis & Elkins D&E
8-7,1-2 MEC
0
Final
3
West Virginia St. WVSt
15-1,2-0 MEC
Winner
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 F
Davis & Elkins D&E 20 25 22 (0)
West Virginia St. WVSt 25 27 25 (3)

Game Recap: Women's Volleyball | | James Garcia, Sports Information Director

Yellow Jackets keep win streak alive with a sweep of D&E

INSTITUTE, W.Va. – The West Virginia State University volleyball team (16-1, 3-0 MEC) only needed three sets to finish off Davis & Elkins (8-7, 1-2 MEC) in front of a raucous crowd at the Walker Convocation Center on Tuesday night. The Yellow Jackets showcased their mental toughness by battling to the bitter end in every set and coming out on top.

"Just one of 16 wins for us this season, but an amazing atmosphere in Walker tonight," remarked Head Coach Kris Kern. "The crowd was electric and our players didn't give an inch against a high-level, well-coached opponent." 

West Virginia State's current win streak was extended to 14 matches after the victory. WVSU also claimed its 14th sweep of the season as well as its fifth consecutive sweep.

Junior Diamond'Nique Young was unstoppable with a team-high 15 kills alongside a .542 hitting percentage. The current Mountain East Conference Defensive Player of the Week also added three blocks to her season totals. Fellow junior Kiersten Eggleton had another impressive all-around performance with nine kills, 18 assists, and six block assists. Graduate student Grace Martin was next to Eggleton for six block assists of her own and smashed five kills.

The first set went back-and-forth in the beginning with the Senators actually inching out front by two points, 11-9. The Yellow Jackets then went on a 10-1 run to pull away from their pesky opponents. Six kills by WVSU and four attack errors by D&E were responsible for the seven-point advantage, 19-12, gained by State. Davis & Elkins crept back to within three points, 22-19, of the Yellow Jackets towards the end of set one. Nevertheless, WVSU prevailed by picking up three of the next four points. Peri Martin earned the set point with a perfectly-place service ace.

The second set required an amazing comeback by State. D&E scored six unanswered midway through to go up by five points, 18-13, and put WVSU in a precarious position. The Yellow Jackets fought their way back to within two points of Davis & Elkins only to have a call reversed and set them back by four, 22-18. A fired up West Virginia State squad responded by winning five of the following six points to tie the set at 23-apiece.WVSU and D&E then traded the ensuing four points to end up at 25-all. Alex Darby came up with a kill before Bethany Ledford served up an ace to make the reversed call a moot point for State, 27-25.

In the final set, WVSU rushed out to a 10-4 lead with momentum carrying over from the dramatic second set. The Senators then went on a run and came all the way back to tie it at 20-apiece. The comeback was squashed there as the Yellow Jackets regained control and took five of the last seven points in the match. Young slammed down two kills at the end to claim set three, 25-22, and register another sweep of a MEC opponent.

The scoresheet was virtually even at the end of the contest. State recorded nine blocks as a team compared to six by Davis & Elkins. The Yellow Jackets also hit slightly better at .287 compared to a .238 hitting percentage by the Senators.

WVSU will head to West Virginia Wesleyan (5-11, 1-2 MEC) next on Friday, Sept. 30th. The match is scheduled for a 7 p.m. start.   
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