West Virginia Wesleyan Sweeps West Virginia State 3-0 to Close in on MEC Tournament Berth
A crowd of 243 fans watched West Virginia Wesleyan secure a three-set sweep over West Virginia State on Monday night at the Rockefeller Center, winning 25-23, 25-22, and 25-20 in Mountain East Conference play, according to wesleyanbobcats.com reporting.
The victory moves the Lady Bobcats to 12-16 overall and 7-8 in conference matches as the regular season reaches its final stretch. Meanwhile, West Virginia State slips to 11-14 overall and 7-8 in MEC play.
Tight Sets and Decisive Runs at Rockefeller Center
Monday’s contest featured intense rallies from the opening whistle. The first set hung in the balance at a 20-20 tie before Wesleyan pulled away to take a 25-23 edge. Momentum continued to swing in the second set, where Arianna Crowley landed back-to-back service aces midway through the frame to help the Lady Bobcats establish separation en route to a 25-22 win. The third and final set remained deadlocked at 18-18 until Wesleyan rattled off five straight points to seal the 25-20 victory and complete the sweep.
Emily Denison paced the Wesleyan offense with 14 kills on an efficient .500 hitting percentage while also recording a match-high 17 digs. Emonie Fennell contributed 11 kills and 11 digs, Bhrooke Axe added 10 kills, and MacKenna Halfin chipped in nine kills alongside 10 digs.
Recent MEC Offensive Player of the Week Liliana Beckstedt continued her stretch of games dishing out 38 assists. Strong serving played a major factor for the home side, as Wesleyan recorded nine total aces compared to just two for West Virginia State, fueled by three aces apiece from Crowley and Leah Myers.
Team statistical advantages favored the victors across major categories. Wesleyan finished with 48 kills to the Yellow Jackets’ 40, 43 assists to 34, and 59 digs to 46. West Virginia State posted a higher hitting percentage at .254 compared to Wesleyan’s .224 and had a 7-4 advantage in blocks.
For West Virginia State, Deniz Akgul had 11 kills on .500 hitting. Carmen Perez added nine kills, Kelsey McKeehan had 18 assists, Lilly Adkins collected 10 digs, and Milena Jansson led the Yellow Jackets with five blocks.
The Regular Season Finale Ahead
The Lady Bobcats return to the Rockefeller Center on Thursday, Nov. 5, at 7 p.m. to host Glenville State University in their final regular-season match. A victory in that home contest will qualify the Lady Bobcats for the MEC Tournament next week.
