WHEELING, W.Va. – West Virginia State (6-8, 1-0 MEC) pulled off a thrilling five-set victory over Wheeling (7-7, 0-1 MEC) in their Mountain East Conference opener on Friday night at the Alma Grace McDonough Center. The Yellow Jackets emerged victorious 16-25, 25-16, 25-23, 18-25, 15-11, led by a record-breaking performance from Maureen Mathews, who hammered 29 kills to set a school record for kills in a five-set match and tied the all-time single-match kills record.

Wheeling got off to a strong start in the first set, hitting .270 as West Virginia State struggled to get its offense going. Despite six digs from Morgan Caba, the Yellow Jackets were plagued by seven attack errors, dropping the set 25-16.

West Virginia State responded emphatically in the second set, with Mathews leading the way. She delivered five kills, while Nicole Gartner Custodio, Baby Moleni, and Valencia Wilder added timely blocks. WVSU hit .355 as a team, holding Wheeling to a .033 hitting percentage, and won the set comfortably 25-16 to tie the match.

The third set was a hard-fought battle, with neither team able to establish a clear lead. Mathews and Steele provided key kills down the stretch, while kills from Steele and Mathews allowed WVSU to edge out a 25-23 victory and take a 2-1 lead.

Wheeling fought back in the fourth set, hitting .394 with 17 kills. Despite strong defensive efforts from Caba and State hitting at a .243 clip, West Virginia State couldn't contain the Cardinals' offense, dropping the set 25-18 and setting up a decisive fifth set.

In the final frame, Mathews once again took control, contributing five kills to give WVSU a 4-1 lead. Wheeling rallied to make it 7-6, but a pair of aces by McKenna Wiseman shifted the momentum back to the Yellow Jackets who went on a 6-1 run to take the lead for good at 12-8. Mathews capped her record-setting night with her 29th kill, sealing a 15-11 win for West Virginia State.

Mathews' 29 kills set a new school record for kills in a five-set match and tied the overall single-match kills record set twice by Jenna Dufresne in 2018 and 2021, both times against Concord. Steele added 14 kills and 11 digs. Eggleton was pivotal in running the offense with 62 assists, a career high for the graduate student, and Morgan Caba led the defense with 16 digs.

West Virginia State returns to action on Oct. 1 at 7:00 p.m., when they host Concord University at the Walker Convocation Center in Institute.