BRIDGEPORT, W.Va. – West Virginia State University was voted second in the Mountain East Conference South Division preseason volleyball poll, the league office announced Monday.

The Yellow Jackets enter 2025 under the direction of Shannon Gerencir, who returns to the program after a 10-year absence. Gerencir previously led WVSU from 2002 to 2015 and becomes the program's fourth head coach in as many seasons.

She inherits a roster that will look vastly different from last year's MEC championship squad. WVSU must replace its entire starting lineup and nearly all of its first-off-the-bench contributors. The lone returner with significant playing time is senior middle blocker Nicole Gartner Custodio.

Even with heavy roster turnover, the Yellow Jackets bring one of the league's strongest recent résumés. WVSU has won four South Division regular season titles in the past five years (2020, 2021, 2023, 2024) and is the reigning MEC Tournament champion. Last fall, the Yellow Jackets became the first—and only—team to defeat Wheeling in the MEC Tournament since the conference began in 2013.

In the preseason poll, Charleston was picked to win the South Division, while Wheeling was the top choice in the North Division. The full poll is below:
 

2025 MEC Volleyball Preseason Poll
Rank	Team (1st Place Votes)	Points
NORTH DIVISION
1.	Wheeling (9)	49
2.	Fairmont State (1)	37
3.	West Liberty (1)	35
4.	Frostburg State	23
5.	Point Park	16
SOUTH DIVISION
1.	Charleston (7)	57
2.	West Virginia State (3)	49
3.	Concord (1)	46
4.	West Virginia Wesleyan	34
5.	Glenville State	21
6.	Davis & Elkins	18