ATHENS, W.Va. – The Concord University volleyball team dives into Mountain East Conference South Division action against West Virginia State 7:00 p.m. Tuesday in the Carter Center and travels to face Charleston 7:00 p.m. Friday.
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LIVE COVERAGE
The Concord University Sports Information Department will provide live video and statistics for Tuesday's Match. The University of Charleston Sports Information Department will provide live video and statistics for Friday's match.
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LIVE VIDEO
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LIVE STATS
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SERIES HISTORY
West Virginia State: All-time series tied 24-24
Charleston: Charleston leads 45-1
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LAST FIVE MEETINGS AGAINST WEST VIRGINIA STATE
October 18, 2022: West Virginia State 3 – Concord 0 (Institute, W.Va.)
September 20, 2022: West Virginia State 3 – Concord 0 (Athens, W.Va.)
October 26, 2021: West Virginia State 3 – Concord 0 (Athens, W.Va.)
September 28, 2021: West Virginia State 3 – Concord 0 (Institute, W.Va.)
February 23, 2021: West Virginia State 3 – Concord 1 (Athens, W.Va.)
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LAST FIVE MEETINGS AGAINST CHARLESTON
November 1, 2022: Charleston 3 – Concord 0 (Athens, W.Va.)
September 27, 2022: Charleston 3 – Concord 0 (Charleston, W.Va.)
November 9, 2021: Charleston 3 – Concord 0 (Charleston, W.Va.)
October 5, 2021: Charleston 3 – Concord 0 (Athens, W.Va.)
February 25, 2021: Charleston 3 – Concord 2 (Charleston, W.Va.)
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CONCORD AT A GLANCE
2023 Record: 10-3
2023 MEC Record: 1-0
Home Record: 3-1
Away Record: 2-1
Neutral Record: 5-1
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SIX IN A ROW
Concord has started 1-0 in Mountain East conference play for the first time since 2017. The Mountain Lion's 10-3 start is their best since 2003 when they started 11-4 and CU's six-game win streak is its longest since 2013. The 10 wins this season matches the Mountain Lions highest win total since 2019. Additionally, CU only needs six more wins to secure the first winning season since 2016.
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FRESHMEN BARRAGE
The tandem of freshman outside hitters
Meg Williams and
Chloe Thompson both find themselves in the top 10 for kills in the MEC. Â This season, freshmen have accounted for 78.5 percent of Concord's offense with 469 total kills and 88 percent of service aces on the season. Williams, Thompson, freshman right side
Natalie Brown, and freshman outside hitter
Meagan Poticher have all contributed to the Mountain Lion lineup in 2023. Concord rotates two freshman setters in
Paige Richmond and
Declyn Tooze. CU ranks third in the conference with 11.41 assists per set. Richmond and Tooze also lead Concord in aces with 24 and 21, respectively. Freshman defensive specialist
Allie Davis ranks third in the MEC in digs with 229 on the season.
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PREVIOUS MATCHUPS AND LOOKING AHEAD
Concord was swept by both West Virginia State and Charleston last season. Senior middle hitter
Kyndra Pilant collected nine kills, three blocks, and eight digs against West Virginia State last year. Against Charleston in 2022, Pilant smashed 11 kills, while also picking up three blocks and nine digs. Sophomore middle hitter
Maddie Bohan saw action in five sets across four matchups. In Friday's conference opener against Frostburg State, CU recorded zero reception errors. Charleston ranks second in the Mountain East in service aces with 1.94 per set. West Virginia State is not far behind, as they rank fifth with 1.79 service aces per set.
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WEST VIRGINIA STATE AT A GLANCE
2023 Record: 10-3
2023 MEC Record: 1-0
Home Record: 4-0
Away Record: 3-0
Neutral Record: 3-3
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SCOUTING THE YELLOW JACKETS
As a team, West Virginia State ranks first in the MEC in points per set (17.2) and hitting percentage (.270). They are also second in assists per set (12.1) and kills per set (13.4). The Yellow Jackets are coming off a 3-0 sweep of defending MEC Champion Wheeling on Friday. WVSU is led by senior middle hitter Diamond'Nique Young and senior outside hitter Jacklyn Simms. Simms ranks third in the conference with 3.81 kills per set, while Young ranks fourth with 3.71 kills per set. Young is hitting .369 on the season, good for second in the MEC. Assisting this dynamic duo is senior setter Kiersten Eggleston who has 367 assists on the season which ranks third across the Mountain East conference. Defensively, the Yellow Jackets are headed by senior defensive specialist Alec Darby who leads the team with 194 digs in 2023.
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CHARLESTON AT A GLANCE
2023 Record: 8-6
2023 MEC Record: 0-1
Home Record: 4-2
Away Record: 1-0
Neutral Record: 3-4
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SCOUTING THE GOLDEN EAGLES
UC comes off a 3-2 loss in its MEC opener to West Liberty on Friday. The Golden Eagles bounced back on Saturday with a win against Catawba College 3-0. Charleston is led by junior right side Pia Selke. Selke leads the conference in hitting percentage (.380) and has accumulated 157 kills. Junior right side Emma Shepherd has 127 kills this season and leads the Golden Eagles with 27 aces. Charleston will rotate between senior setter Maria Hernandez and sophomore setter Suzan Agterberg. Hernandez (203 assists) and Agterberg (193 assists) combine to average 10.9 assists per set. Junior libero Janna Morrissey averages 3.29 digs per set defensively for UC. Junior middle hitter Raegan McLean ranks sixth in the MEC with 31 blocks (0.89 per set).
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