BUCKHANNON, W.Va. — The West Virginia Wesleyan (3-8) volleyball team won its first two matches on the opening day of the Bobcat Classic at the Rockefeller Center in Buckhannon, W.Va. The Lady ‘Cats earned two four-set victories over Glenville State and the West Virginia Institute of Technology.
WVWC Leaders
Hope Arce-Reed turned in two magnificent performances, racking up 28 kills total on the day. Freshman sensation Mya Bajramovic totaled 19 kills on her first day at the Bobcat Classic. Senior Joelle Lalla tallied 14 kills and four block solos.
Payton Hefner facilitated the Lady Bobcat offense with 44 assists. Sarah McCall passed assists and struck four service aces. Bonner Springs, Kan., native Alexis Moeschler held down the libero position and produced 42 digs and three service aces.
WVWC 3, GSU 1
WVWC started strong in set one and jumped out to a 4-1 lead. GSU scored consecutive points to make the score 4-3. A kill from Arce-Reed gave WVWC a five-point lead of 10-5. The Lady Bobcats continued to roll scoring 10 of the next 15 points to lead 20-10. The Pioneers fired off five straight to cut the deficit to three, 22-19. Wesleyan scored the final three points of the set and won set one, 25-19.
The two foes were tied 5-5 at the beginning of set two. The Lady Bobcats held the lead 10-8 following a kill from Lalla. WVWC took three of the next four points and led 13-9. GSU fought back to tie the score at 13-13. Tied at 15-15, the Pioneers went on a run and scored three straight to take the lead, 18-15. Glenville State took seven of the final nine points to win set two, 25-17.
The Lady Bobcats started the third set on fire and won 10 of the first 14 decisions. WVWC extended the lead to 10 on a kill by Riley France 16-6. Kills from Lalla, Riley France and Jayla Cowherd extended the WVWC advantage to 19-6. That was all the Lady ‘Cats needed to comfortably win set three, 25-13.
WVWC led 5-0 to open set four. GSU responded with three points to make the score 5-3. France powered two straight kills and put the Lady Bobcats up 10-6. The Pioneers fired back scoring four straight to tie the game at 10. Glenville State went on a seven-point run to lead 19-12. The Lady Bobcats cut the deficit to four, 19-15. Wesleyan clawed back to tie the score 23-23. WVWC won the match thanks to a huge kill from Najla Bray.
WVWC 3, WVU TECH 1
A service ace from Moeschler gave the Lady Bobcats a 9-8 lead in the opening set. France and Cowherd struck a kill each that put the Lady Bobcats up three. WVWC went on a four-point scoring run that featured a Lalla service ace and an Arce-Reed kill to pad an 18-11 lead for Wesleyan. WVU Tech cut the Lady Bobcats’ lead to seven points. WVWC won the first set, 25-17.
An ace from McCall and a Golden Bear attack error set the Lady ‘Cats ahead 10-5 after the first 15 decisions. The visitors went on a tear, scoring six straight points, and gained an 11-10 lead. A kill from Brooklyn Cook extended the advantage for WVU Tech, 14-11. Hefner set Lalla for a kill that knotted the score at 15. WVU Tech won three critical points and led 18-15. The Lady ‘Cats evened the score at 21. The Golden Bears fended off the Lady Bobcats and held on in set two to even the match score.
Wesleyan answered and claimed seven of the first 10 points of the third set. The Golden Bears cut the WVWC deficit to two points at 12-10. The Lady ‘Cats put together a key three-point run to grow the lead to five points thanks to a kill from Bray, a WVU Tech ball handling error and a Golden Bear attack error. Bajramovic collected three kills for the final three points of the set for WVWC. Wesleyan led 2-1 after set three.
Both teams traded the first 22 points of the fourth set. A kill from Cowherd and an opposition attack error gave the Lady Bobcats a two-point cushion. Bajramovic delivered two consecutive kills to extend the WVWC advantage, 15-12. McCall’s third service ace of the match pushed Wesleyan ahead, 19-15. The Golden Bears rallied and cut the deficit to one point late in the fourth set. A service error handed the Lady Bobcats their second win of the day at the Bobcat Classic.
Up Next
Day two of the Bobcat Classic continued on Saturday as on the docket for the Lady Bobcats were matchups versus Kentucky State at 10 a.m. and Alderson Broaddus at 4 p.m.
