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VB25 Custodio
Photo: Todd Griffith
0
Salem SALEM 10-10 (D-II Indep.)
3
Winner West Virginia St. WVSU 10-10 (4-4 MEC)
Salem SALEM
10-10 (D-II Indep.)
0
Final
3
West Virginia St. WVSU
10-10 (4-4 MEC)
Winner
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 F
Salem SALEM 19 7 15 (0)
West Virginia St. WVSU 25 25 25 (3)

Game Recap: Women's Volleyball | | Bryan Shepherd, Sports Information Director

Custodio Sets MEC, School Records in WVSU Sweep of Salem

INSTITUTE, W.Va. — West Virginia State's Nicole Gartner Custodio delivered one of the most efficient performances in NCAA Division II volleyball history Friday night, hitting .882 with 15 kills and no errors on 17 swings as the Yellow Jackets swept Salem University, 25-19, 25-7, 25-15, inside the Walker Convocation Center. Custodio's outing set a new Mountain East Conference single-match attack-percentage record and broke a 21-year-old WVSU school record previously held by Blair Ruddle since Oct. 27, 2004.

The victory lifted West Virginia State to 10-10 overall (4-4 MEC), while Salem dropped to 10-10 overall as an independent.

State opened the match with a balanced attack in the first frame, using 13 kills on .190 hitting to edge Salem 25-19. In the second set, the Yellow Jackets were nearly flawless, posting a .520 clip while limiting the Tigers to minus-.172 to cruise 25-7. Custodio went six-for-six in that stanza, punctuating a 13-1 run with back-to-back blocks. The third set followed a similar script as WVSU controlled tempo from the outset, finishing with a .325 hitting percentage to close out the sweep 25-15.

Custodio led all players with 15 kills, six total blocks, and 19.5 points, anchoring both the offensive and defensive efforts. Carmen Perez added 12 kills and 17 digs while hitting .294. Kelsey McKeehan directed the offense with 34 assists to go along with four digs and an ace, while Baylee Smith chipped in seven kills on .545 hitting. Viktoria Sedova provided defensive stability with a team-high 15 digs and three aces.

As a team, West Virginia State tallied 43 kills on 107 swings to finish at .318 with only nine errors. The Jackets also collected 37 assists, six aces, 63 digs, and six total blocks. Salem managed 25 kills on .080 hitting with 52 digs in the loss.

Custodio's .882 attack percentage surpassed the MEC record of .857 set by Wheeling's Mady Winters on Oct. 27, 2023, and topped the WVSU mark of .828 set by Blair Ruddle on Oct. 27, 2004, marking one of the most efficient hitting performances in program and conference history.

West Virginia State returns to action Saturday, Oct. 25, when it hosts Point Park University at 4 p.m. inside the Walker Convocation Center.
 
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