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Wesleyan volleyball goes 3-1 in Concord Classic

West Virginia Wesleyan went 3-1 at the Concord Classic, beating Kentucky State, Bluefield State and Winston-Salem State after a five-set loss to Rollins, improving to 7-4 as Bhrooke Axe and Emily Denison earned All-Tournament honors.
WVWC Volleyball

ATHENS — The West Virginia Wesleyan Lady Bobcat volleyball team opened the 2025 Concord Classic in dominant fashion, picking up two convincing wins on Friday over Kentucky State and Bluefield State. The Lady Bobcats improved to 6–3 overall after Day 1 of the tournament.

FRIDAY

GAME 1: Wesleyan 3, Kentucky State 1
Set Scores: 21–25, 25–13, 25–18, 25–9

After dropping the opening set, the Lady Bobcats stormed back to win three straight sets.

Offensive Leaders:
MacKenna Halfin dominated at the net with 16 kills and a .306 hitting percentage, racking up a match-high 17.0 points.
Bhrooke Axe added 14 kills (.323), while Emily Denison chipped in with 11 kills (.231) and 8 digs.
Emonie Fennell provided a spark off the bench with 8 kills on 13 swings (.538).
Wesleyan hit .789 in the fourth set and .281 overall, compared to just .073 by Kentucky State.

Service & Defense:
Alexis Moeschler served up 3 aces and recorded a game-high 24 digs.
Claire Wheeler facilitated the offense with 34 assists and added 2 service aces.
The team notched 11 total aces, 56 digs, and 6 team blocks, smothering KSU’s attack

GAME 2: Wesleyan 3, Bluefield State 1
Set Scores: 25–19, 25–27, 25–14, 25–13

Wesleyan rebounded quickly after a tight second-set loss to cruise through the third and fourth sets, capping off a 2–0 day with another strong team performance.

Standout Performers:
MacKenna Halfin continued her weekend tear with 18 kills (.343) and 19.0 points.
Emily Denison had 13 kills (.391), 18 digs, and 3 aces in a complete performance.
Bhrooke Axe added 12 kills (.333) with just 4 errors on 24 swings.
Lacey Gutherie and Claire Wheeler combined for 52 assists and 9 service aces, with Gutherie accounting for 6 aces.

All-Around Efficiency:
Wesleyan hit .216 overall and dominated from the service line with 16 total aces.
The defense held Bluefield State to a .160 hitting percentage and forced 16 receiving errors.
Alexis Moeschler led the back row again with 17 digs

SATURDAY

Wesleyan’s volleyball team concluded its appearance at the 2025 Concord Classic with a five-set effort against Rollins College and a four-set victory over Winston-Salem State. The Lady Bobcats went 3–1 overall in the tournament, moving to 7–4 on the season, and continued to showcase a balanced offense.

GAME 3: Rollins 3, Wesleyan 2
Set Scores: 23–25, 22–25, 25–23, 25–21, 15–6

Despite jumping out to a 2–0 lead, the Lady Bobcats were unable to close out, falling in five to a resilient Rollins squad in Saturday’s morning match.

Match Highlights:
Bhrooke Axe led all Wesleyan scorers with 14 kills and 8 total blocks (1 solo, 7 assisted), finishing with 18.5 points.
Lisdarelyn Grassals added 9 kills (.227), while Sabrina Carleton contributed 7 kills and 5 blocks.
Emily Denison tallied 6 kills, 15 digs, and a service ace.
Claire Wheeler dished out 24 assists and added an ace and 9 digs.
Wesleyan totaled 24 block assists, keeping the match close defensively.

GAME 4: Wesleyan 3, Winston-Salem State 1
Set Scores: 25–22, 25–15, 19–25, 25–17

Wesleyan rebounded in the tournament finale, beating Winston-Salem State with a .286 team hitting percentage and consistent side-out execution.

Standout Performers:
Bhrooke Axe continued her tournament efficiency with 18 kills on a sizzling .577 hitting clip.
Emily Denison (12 kills, .400) and MacKenna Halfin (13 kills, .333) fueled a potent attack.
Lisdarelyn Grassals added 10 kills .
Claire Wheeler helped direct the offense with 32 assists, while Lacey Gutherie provided 18 more and chipped in with an ace.
The Lady Bobcats served tough with 7 total aces, including 3 from Faith Grafton, and won the first and fourth sets with efficiency

The Concord Classic All-Tournament Team
Chloe Thompson, Concord
Meg Williams, Concord
Soniya Garner, Bluefield State
Gabrielle Hale, Bluefield State
Laila Wheaton, Kentucky State
Makayla Moran, Rollins
Marta Tsaneva, Rollins
Bhrooke Axe, West Virginia Wesleyan
Emily Denison, West Virginia Wesleyan
Zoe Chesson, Winston-Salem State

The Lady Bobcats return home for a Homecoming match against Salem University. First serve is Friday, Sept. 26 at 7 p.m.

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