INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — West Virginia State opened its 2025 volleyball season with a five-set victory over Thomas More at the neutral-site Ruth Lilly Center on Friday. The Yellow Jackets claimed the match 25–17, 18–25, 25–23, 17–25, 15–10, improving to 1–0 overall while the Saints fell to 0–1. The match featured 30 ties and 16 lead changes before State closed out the decisive fifth set in front of 104 fans.
Carmen Perez led the Jackets with 13 kills, followed by Nicole Gartner Custodio with 12 and Alyssa Hill with 11. Setter Emma Pomaret dished out 21 assists while Kelsey McKeehan added 20. McKeehan also paced the defense with 17 digs, joined in double figures by Lilly Adkins with 14, Pomaret with 13, and Perez with 11. From the service line, Perez and McKeehan each tallied three aces. At the net, Custodio recorded six total blocks, Hill added five, and Marcelina Pyka chipped in three.
As a team, West Virginia State totaled 48 kills on .085 hitting with 47 assists, eight service aces, 71 digs, and 9.0 team blocks. Thomas More countered with 56 kills on .146 hitting, 49 assists, five aces, 64 digs, and 15.0 team blocks.
The opening set saw West Virginia State pull away on the strength of a steady mid-set push. After the score was tied at 8–8, the Jackets pieced together a series of sideouts and mini-runs, including a four-point burst that turned a slim lead into a comfortable cushion. Carmen Perez and Alyssa Hill each chipped in kills during that stretch, and WVSU closed it out 25–17.
Thomas More responded in the second with the most decisive run of the match, a 5–0 surge that turned a narrow 16–15 edge into a commanding 21–15 lead. Ebony Gomez delivered multiple kills in the sequence, and the Saints rode that momentum to a 25–18 victory.
The third set was back-and-forth throughout, producing 13 ties and seven lead changes. WVSU never managed more than four consecutive points, but timely kills from Nicole Gartner Custodio and Perez helped the Jackets grab the final two rallies and secure a 25–23 decision.
In the fourth, the Saints again used a 5–0 run to break things open, stretching a 10–10 tie into a 15–10 lead with Gomez and Kat Koepke leading the charge at the net. That separation proved decisive as Thomas More rolled to a 25–17 win.
The final set began evenly until WVSU gained a small edge with a three-point burst from 5–5 to 8–5. From there the teams traded sideouts, but the Jackets' early cushion held up. Daneya Morgan and Custodio provided the finishing touches in a 15–10 win that sealed the season-opening victory.
West Virginia State continues play on Saturday, Sept. 6 against Concord-St. Paul. First serve is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.
