ATHENS, W.Va. – For the first time in eight years, the Concord University volleyball team defeated West Virginia State, in four sets, Tuesday night in a Mountain East Conference contest at the Carter Center.
CU won the match 25-22, 25-22, 18-25, 25-19.
Despite being outhit in the match (.159-.155), the Mountain Lions (12-1, 2-0 MEC) used 10 service aces and held WVSU (5-8, 0-2 MEC) to a negative hitting percentage (-.051) in the fourth set to seal the win.
In the clinching game, Concord ran off five straight points—four on West Virginia State attack errors—as it got the edge it needed, 10-6, and never looked back. The lead swelled to as much as seven points, 19-12, after another one of the nine errors WVSU had in the fourth set. West Virginia State got within 19-15, but a 4-0 run helped close out the visitors. Freshman middle hitter
Addison Adkins threw in a pair of service aces during the late spurt.
The Mountain Lions scored six of the first eight points and never trailed in the opening set as they held WVSU to .125 hitting. Junior outside hitter
Meg Williams had five of her 12 kills for the match in the opening game as CU never trailed.
The second game was much tighter until junior middle hitter
Jasmine Anderson help spur a 7-1 run that took CU from trailing 13-12 to leading 19-14. Anderson had two kills during the stretch. Leading by five, Concord never let West Virginia State get closer than 24-22 before Williams put away the set with her seventh kill to that point.
West Virginia State responded in the third set, hitting a blistering .333 in the game. The Mountain Lions were able to match the Yellow Jackets until the midway point of the set. Junior outside hitter
Chloe Thompson came up with a kill to tie the third set for the sixth and final time. However, WVSU rattled off a 6-1 run to help win the third before CU closed the deal in the fourth set.
Williams led four Concord players into double-figure kills. She added her second straight double-double with 12 digs. Williams also threw in four blocks and three aces. Anderson came up with a career-high 11 kills to go with five blocks.
Adkins and Thompson both had 10 kills with Adkins matching Williams' three aces from the service line.
Junior setter
Paige Richmond had a season-best 29 assists, and sophomore setter
Haley Sweeney chipped in a double-double of 15 assists and 10 digs.
Junior libero
Allie Davis rounded out the top performers with 25 digs in the contest, her most in the last nine matches.
The Mountain Lions take to the road 7:00 p.m. Friday to face Charleston.
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