INSTITUTE – The West Virginia State University women's volleyball team dropped its final home match of the season, falling 3-0 to Glenville State University Friday night at the Walker Convocation Center. The loss drops WVSU to 11-13 overall and 7-7 in Mountain East Conference action.
Maya Vilmar registered 10 kills to lead WVSU, while Carmen Pérez and Ahaziah Smith each contributed nine. Kelsey McKeehan handed out 21 assists, and Pérez recorded a match-high 18 digs.
The Yellow Jackets opened the first set on a 5-2 run behind a joint block by Deniz Akgul and Smith alongside a Vilmar kill. Glenville State nudged ahead 6-5 before WVSU reeled off six of the next seven points to build an 11-7 lead. The Pioneers rallied to take a 14-12 lead and extended it to 19-17 before WVSU answered with five unanswered points—fueled by a pair of Vilmar kills—to take a 22-19 advantage. Glenville State reached set point at 24-22 before a block by Inka Oksanen and Marcelina Pyka brought WVSU within 24-23, but the Pioneers secured the final point to win the set 25-23.
Glenville State bolted to an early 10-4 lead in the second set before a Vilmar kill sparked a 4-0 WVSU run—featuring a Giatta Iquinto service ace—to trim the margin to 10-8. The Pioneers answered by scoring five of the next six points to take a 15-9 lead into a timeout. WVSU pulled within 17-14, but four consecutive Glenville State points pushed the margin to 20-14. Late kills from Smith, Pérez, and Oksanen were not enough to spark a full comeback as WVSU dropped the set 25-21.
The Pioneers took another early 10-4 lead in the third set. WVSU scored three straight to close within 11-7 before Glenville State opened up a 16-9 advantage. The Yellow Jackets then mounted a 5-0 surge to trim the deficit to 16-14 and continued the rally with two Milena Jansson kills and a Pérez kill to level the score at 18-18. After Glenville State reached set point at 24-21, WVSU answered with three straight points to level the set at 24-24.
The Yellow Jackets earned set-point opportunities following a Glenville State service error and a Vilmar kill, but the Pioneers responded with a kill to level the set once more. Glenville State eventually earned set point at 29-28 and converted the final point to claim the frame 30-28 and secure the 3-0 victory.
WVSU returns to action Monday, Nov. 2, traveling to face West Virginia Wesleyan College before closing out the regular season Thursday, Nov. 5, at UC.
