CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The West Virginia State University women's volleyball team closed the regular season with a 3-0 sweep over local rival UC Thursday night. With the win, WVSU finishes the regular season with a 12-14 overall record and an 8-8 mark in Mountain East Conference action.
Maya Vilmar and
Deniz Akgul led the Yellow Jackets with 11 kills each.
Lilly Adkins recorded 14 digs, while
Carmen Pérez added 11 digs and seven kills.
Kelsey Mckeehan orchestrated the offense with 24 set assists.
UC opened the first set on a 5-1 run before WVSU answered with two quick points to pull within 5-3. The Yellow Jackets leveled the score at 7-7 off a Pérez kill and a
Kiela Sanger service ace before taking a 10-9 lead on an
Ahaziah Smith kill. WVSU pushed its lead to 15-12 heading into a timeout and later extended the advantage to 23-17 following a 4-1 run. The Golden Eagles mounted a late surge, scoring six of the next seven points to trim the lead to 24-23, but a Vilmar kill secured the 25-23 set victory for WVSU.
The second set remained tight early, with WVSU taking a 5-3 lead behind back-to-back kills from Vilmar and Inka Susanna Oksanen. After UC answered with four straight points to move ahead 11-8, the Yellow Jackets responded with a 5-0 run—highlighted by consecutive Pérez service aces—to reclaim a 13-11 lead. UC pulled ahead 22-19 late in the frame, but WVSU closed on a 6-1 run, getting kills from Akgul, Smith, and Vilmar to claim another 25-23 set win.
WVSU jumped out quickly in the third set, taking a 2-0 lead on a McKeehan service ace followed by a joint block from Smith and Akgul. The Yellow Jackets expanded their advantage to 8-3. After UC closed the gap to 12-10, WVSU answered with four straight points, taking a 16-10 lead on another McKeehan service ace.
The Golden Eagles pulled within 17-14, but an Akgul kill sparked a 6-0 WVSU run to stretch the lead to 23-14. A UC service error brought WVSU to set point at 24-16 before
Audrey Buck put down the final kill to cap a 25-17 set victory and complete the 3-0 match sweep.
