ELKINS, W.Va. – West Virginia State University stayed unbeaten in Mountain East Conference play, sweeping Davis & Elkins 3-0 (25-20, 25-18, 25-17) on Friday night. WVSU, now 8-8 overall and 3-0 in the MEC, controlled the match with a balanced attack and solid defense. The Senators dropped to 4-7 and 1-3 in conference play.

Kiersten Eggleton led the Yellow Jackets with 33 assists and six digs, while Hannah Steele and Maureen Mathews powered the offense, each with 11 kills. Steel hit .375 in the match while Mathews struck at a .231 clip. Morgan Caba led the defense with 11 digs, and WVSU recorded four blocks as a team, taking advantage of 17 attack errors by Davis & Elkins.

Davis & Elkins took an early 4-2 lead behind a kill from Reanne Debose and a service ace. WVSU responded quickly,taking the lead at 6-5 on a service ace by Ashlynne Davis. From there, the Yellow Jackets built momentum, using a balanced offensive effort to go up 16-11 after back-to-back-to-back kills from Steele. The Senators rallied within three at 18-15, but WVSU pulled away late with a kill from Baby Moleni and a block by Nicole Custodio and Moleni to seal the set​​.

West Virginia State took control early in the second set, jumping out to a 3-0 lead with kills from Maureen Mathews, Baby Moleni, and Nicole Custodio, all set up by Kiersten Eggleton. Davis & Elkins fought back, tying the score at 3-3 after a series of attack errors by WVSU, but the Yellow Jackets quickly regained momentum.

WVSU extended their lead to 7-5, with a block by Hannah Steele and Custodio followed by another attack error by Davis & Elkins. Davis & Elkins struggled to find rhythm, committing several errors as the Yellow Jackets capitalized on offensive opportunities. An ace by Ashlynne Davis and a kill by Valencia Wilder increased the lead to 10-7, and the Yellow Jackets continued to control the set.

Despite a small rally by the Senators that closed the gap to 12-11, WVSU pulled away again, with a key kill by Wilder and another from Mathews. Davis & Elkins errors piled up, and WVSU sealed the set with a final ace by Davis at 24-17. A bad set by the Senators' Reanne Debose gave the Yellow Jackets the set, 25-18.

West Virginia State quickly found their rhythm in the third set, responding to an early Davis & Elkins point with a kill from Nicole Custodio to tie the score at 1-1. WVSU briefly fell behind but tied it again at 6-6 after a pair of kills by Hannah Steele. The Yellow Jackets then began to pull away, as Steele, Valencia Wilder, and Kiersten Eggleton each contributed kills to push the lead to 9-6.

Davis & Elkins attempted to fight back, closing the gap to 10-9, but WVSU's offense continued to fire, with Maureen Mathews and Wilder delivering kills to extend the advantage to 16-11. Davis & Elkins struggled with errors, allowing the Yellow Jackets to capitalize and further build their lead.

WVSU sealed the set with consistent pressure, culminating in a kill by Custodio and a service error from Davis & Elkins at 24-17. The final point came on another Davis & Elkins error, giving WVSU a 25-17 victory to complete the sweep.

West Virginia State will return to action at home on Tuesday, Oct. 8, against Glenville State at the Walker Convocation Center in Institute, W.Va. Match time is 7 p.m.