BUCKHANNON, W.Va. -- The West Virginia Wesleyan volleyball team (3-2) outlasted Davis & Elkins (3-1) in back-and-forth five set victory on Friday (Feb. 19) night at the Rockefeller Center in Buckhannon, W.Va.
 
"Our ladies battled hard tonight," Wesleyan assistant coach Jennifer Hefner said. "After dropping the last two matches, our team had a gutsy performance winning in five sets against a solid team."
 
WVWC Leaders
Four Bobcat players had more than eight kills in the match. Emily Doyle led the charge with 15 kills, while Lexis Tatum added 12 kills. Joelle Lalla and Lauryn Antolock each had eight kills. 
 
WVWC had two players with over 20 assists, Payton Hefner (23) and Maddi Carpenter (21). Carpenter, the junior from Belington, W.Va., recorded 10 digs and put away three service aces for the 'Cats.
 
"I have faith in my teammates to put away balls and get the job done," Carpenter said. "They work hard in practice and it is nice to have a personal connection with them on the court."
 
On the defensive side, Autumn Molenhouse secured 21 digs and Doyle notched 17 digs against the Davis & Elkins attack. WVWC notched seven total team blocks. Antolock, a senior from Fairmont, W.Va., led the 'Cats with six block assists on the night.
 
"Things were clicking for us on the floor tonight," Antolock said. "Our passes were clean to Maddi [Carpenter] and Payton [Hefner] to help set us up."
 
Davis & Elkins Leaders
Macie Magallon led the offensive attack for the Senators. The outside hitter had 22 kills in the match. Brilane Manchego had 39 assists and six kills. Molly Jandris smashed three service aces for Davis & Elkins.
 
Defensively, the Senators had four players finish with ten or more digs. Manchego posted 13 digs while Mariah Autobee, Jandris and Magallon each had 12 digs. D&E recorded eight blocks with Brianna Portley leading the blocking defense with six block assists.
 
Inside the First Set
The first set featured 15 tie scores and seven lead changes. With the score at 17-14 in favor of D&E, Joelle Lalla smashed a kill that was set by Carpenter. After an Michela Ayers kill from Carpenter and an ace by Molenhouse, the 'Cats evened the set at 17.
 
The two teams traded leads down the stretch of the opening set. Down 22-21, Wesleyan clawed back to win the final four points of the set and won the set by a score of 25-22. Tatum had two clutch kills in the final five points and Anaya Hyman closed out the set with the final kill.
 
Inside the Second Set
WVWC jumped out to an early lead and controlled the beginning of the set. Carpenter recorded her first ace of the night to make the score 6-3 in favor of Wesleyan. Later in the set, Tatum put away a kill from Hefner to make the score 14-11 and force a timeout from D&E.
 
The Senators came back and took a 15-14 lead. The Bobcats regained a 16-15 advantage after a kill by Emily Doyle. D&E claimed the next four points to create a 19-16 deficit for WVWC. The Senators would not look back and took set two, 25-21.
 
Inside the Third Set
The Black and Orange opened the middle frame with a 4-1 lead. Davis & Elkins regained a 7-6 lead later in the set. The Senators increased their spread to four points at 11-7. The Bobcats would take the next four points to tie the score at 11.
 
The 'Cats went on a 14-8 run to close out the crucial third set. Doyle and Ayers combined for eight of the Bobcats' thirteen kills in the third set. Wesleyan slammed three aces in the set, two from Hefner and one from Carpenter.
 
Inside the Fourth Set
After the final timeout from Davis & Elkins, Hefner set up Doyle to put Wesleyan up 24-20. With their backs against the wall, the Senators won five consecutive points to take a 25-24 lead behind the serving of Manchego.
 
D&E won the fourth set 28-26 to force a winner-take-all set.
 
Inside the Fifth Set
To start the deciding set, the two squads traded the first four points. With the score tied at two, Wesleyan took the next three points behind Antolock's serving. Antolock connected on a service ace to put the 'Cats up 5-2.
 
Davis & Elkins claimed the next two points and cut the deficit to one. WVWC controlled the next three points to take a 9-5 lead. Wesleyan extended their edge to four after a service ace by Molenhouse. The Bobcats pulled away and finished the match with a kill by Hyman. Wesleyan took the final set 15-11 to be victorious 3-2 in the match.
 
Up Next
West Virginia Wesleyan volleyball is scheduled to be back in action on Tuesday (Feb. 23) for a doubleheader against Glenville State inside the Rockefeller Center. The first match is scheduled to start at 5 p.m. and the second match is slated for a 7 p.m. first serve.