GLENVILLE, W.Va. - The Glenville State Volleyball team fought back mightily in the third set but ultimately fell 3-0 to West Virginia State 3-0 last night (Sept. 25) inside the Waco Center. The Pioneers move to (7-7, 1-2 MEC) on the year.
Glenville State came out strong in the opening set, taking a 3-1 lead behind an early
Gracie Brown kill and a
Juliana Nunez attack. West Virginia State answered, and the teams stayed close through the first half of the frame. Brown brought the Pioneers even at 9-9, but the Yellow Jackets gradually built an 18-14 advantage. GSU responded with four consecutive points, including two Brown kills and a block by Brown and
Deniz Selen Yazar, to tie the set at 18-18. Brown struck again to make it 19-19, keeping Glenville State within reach. West Virginia State pulled ahead 21-19 and, after GSU cut the deficit to one, State scored the final four points to take the set 25-20.
The Pioneers again started quickly in the second set. Nunez opened the scoring with a kill, and Glenville State moved ahead 3-0. West Virginia State answered with six straight points to take its first lead of the frame. GSU stopped the run with another Nunez kill, but the Yellow Jackets continued to build momentum, stretching their advantage from 7-4 to 15-4. Glenville State found points from Nunez,
Mylani Jackson and
Kennedy Navey later in the set, but could not close the gap as West Virginia State won 25-11 to take a 2-0 match lead.
West Virginia State held the early edge in the third, but Glenville State fought back from a 5-2 deficit to tie the score at 5-5 on a Brown kill. The Yellow Jackets regained control and built a 20-12 lead. Facing match point territory, the Pioneers mounted their strongest push of the night. Brown helped spark the rally with three kills as GSU narrowed the deficit to 21-18. A
Madison Lee service ace and a Brown block brought Glenville State within one at 22-21. Brown delivered another kill to make it 23-22, and the Pioneers drew even at 23-23 on a West Virginia State attack error. After the Yellow Jackets reached match point, Brown answered with a kill to tie the set once more at 24-24. West Virginia State secured the next two points, taking the set 26-24 and completing the sweep.
.
Final Stats
West Virginia State
Maya Vilmar led the Yellow Jackets with 10 kills, while Marcelina Pyka followed with nine. Kelsey McKeehan directed the offense with 19 assists, and Audrey Buck added nine assists and three service aces. Lilly Adkins paced the defense with 22 digs, while Carmen Perez recorded 11. Deniz Akgul finished with eight blocks as West Virginia State held a 17-8 advantage in team blocks..
Glenville State
Gracie Brown led the Pioneers with a match-high 16 kills and a team-high 16 digs, while Nunez added seven kills.
Irmak Bezek recorded 20 assists, followed by
Madison Lee with nine. Lee also supplied Glenville State's single service ace.
Deniz Selen Yazar led GSU at the net with four blocks, while Brown added three.
Kassie Swink contributed eight digs.
Up Next For The Pioneers
The Pioneers return to action Tuesday (Sept. 29), traveling to face the University of Charleston. The match is scheduled for 7 p.m.
