BUCKHANNON, W.Va. – The West Virginia State University women's volleyball team fell 3-0 to West Virginia Wesleyan College on Monday night.
Deniz Akgul led the Yellow Jackets with 11 kills, hitting .500 on the night.
Carmen Pérez recorded nine kills and six digs, while
Maya Vilmar added seven kills. Kelsey McKeehan had 18 set assists and
Audrey Buck contributed 12.
Milena Jansson finished with a team-high five blocks.
The opening set featured eight tied scores and three lead changes. After the Bobcats built an early advantage, WVSU answered with a 4-0 run highlighted by back-to-back kills from
Marcelina Pyka and a service ace by
Kiela Sanger to take a 9-6 lead.
Later in the frame, a kill by Akgul and a McKeehan service ace pushed WVSU ahead 13-10. Wesleyan rallied to move back in front, but the Yellow Jackets continued to battle, leveling the score at 20-20 following a block from Jansson and
Inka Oksanen. WVSU pulled within 24-23, but Wesleyan won the following point to claim the opening set 25-23.
Set two proved just as tight, marked by 12 tied scores and seven lead changes. WVSU jumped out to an early 3-0 lead behind two quick Akgul kills. Wesleyan answered to take a narrow lead before WVSU reeled off three straight points, capped by a Jansson kill, to build a 12-10 advantage. The Yellow Jackets kept pressure on mid-set, executing a 4-0 run to turn a 16-13 deficit into an 18-16 lead. However, the Bobcats responded late with a 5-1 run to seal the 25-22 set victory and extend their match lead to 2-0.
WVSU continued to fight in the third set, which saw 10 ties and three lead changes. After trading early points, the Yellow Jackets used a 3-0 spurt, capped by consecutive Pérez kills, to tie the score at 16. The Bobcats answered out of a timeout with five unanswered points to gain control at 23-18. A late Akgul kill saved one match point, but Wesleyan took the final point to win the set 25-20 and the match 3-0.
The Yellow Jackets will close the regular season Thursday night when they play at UC. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m.
