INSTITUTE, W.Va. — West Virginia State University locked up a berth in the Mountain East Conference Tournament with a dominant defensive performance Tuesday night, sweeping Glenville State, 27–25, 25–16, 25–20, inside the Walker Convocation Center.

The Yellow Jackets (13–11, 7–5 MEC) turned the match into a showcase of front-line dominance, tallying 16 team blocks and holding the Pioneers (12–15, 4–8 MEC) to an even .000 hitting percentage. Senior middle blocker Nicole Gartner Custodio led the charge with a career-high 12 blocks, anchoring a defense that repeatedly stifled Glenville's attack and forced 31 total errors.

After falling behind 16–14 in the opening set, State responded with a 6–1 surge to move ahead 20–17, then earned two set points at 24–22 before Glenville State rallied to tie it at 24-all. The Yellow Jackets steadied themselves and took three of the next four points to secure the frame, 27–25.

In the second, Glenville jumped ahead 3–1 before WVSU roared back with a 12–2 run that flipped the set completely in the Jackets' favor. Another 7–1 stretch extended the lead to 23–9, punctuated by a Custodio–Morgan block at the net. Glenville mounted a brief 7–2 push to narrow the gap, but a Morgan kill secured the 25–16 victory.

In the third, State started fast with a 4–0 lead, and the teams traded runs before the Jackets pulled ahead 9–7. A 5–0 Glenville State rally forced a WVSU timeout at 15–12, but the Yellow Jackets regained control late, closing the set and match on a 3–0 run capped by a pair of Carmen Perez slams and one from Deneya Morgan to seal the sweep, 25–20.

Alyssa Hill paced the offense with 14 kills, while Kinsley McKeehan dished out 17 assists. Perez and Lilly Adkins each collected 10 digs as WVSU hit .173 as a team. The victory marked the Yellow Jackets' third straight home win and officially clinched their spot in next week's MEC postseason tournament. State now holds a three-match cushion over Glenville in the standings with three to play and owns the head-to-head tiebreaker after sweeping the season series.

West Virginia State next travels to Davis & Elkins College on Friday, Nov. 7 at 7 p.m.