WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. — The West Liberty University volleyball team will look to make a postseason run when it opens the 2026 Mountain East Conference Tournament Wednesday against Glenville State. First serve in the quarterfinal matchup is set for 4:30 p.m. at Joe Retton Arena in Fairmont.

The Hilltoppers enter the tournament as the No. 3 seed from the North Division after finishing 10-20 overall and 9-7 in conference play. They will face Glenville State, the No. 2 seed from the South Division, which also finished 9-7 in MEC play and enters with a 17-12 overall record.

Head coach Makenzy Johnson said the team has responded well in practice this week and is looking forward to the opportunity in front of it.

"Our team is playing with a lot of confidence in practice this week. They are focused on the task at hand and excited for the opportunity to compete for a conference title," Johnson said.

West Liberty and Glenville State met earlier this season in Glenville on Oct. 9, with the Pioneers coming away with a 3-2 victory. The Hilltoppers won the first and third sets before Glenville rallied to take the final two, including a 15-12 decision in the fifth set.

"We are looking forward to seeing how we match up against Glenville at this point in the season," Johnson said. "We've grown a lot in our mindset throughout the second half of conference. They have some heavy hitters in their offense and they're a pretty aggressive serving team."

The Pioneers are led offensively by Gracie Brown, who has recorded 351 kills and averages 3.44 kills per set. Juliana Nunez has added 237 kills, while Deniz Selen Yazar leads the team with 66 total blocks. Glenville is hitting .200 as a team and averages 12.68 kills and 1.55 blocks per set.

West Liberty will look to counter with a balanced attack and a strong defensive effort. Amira DuPree leads the Hilltoppers with 333 kills, averaging 3.03 per set, while Sidney Keni has contributed 224 kills. Setter Dakoda Keni has recorded 849 assists, and Taylor Speake leads the team with 437 digs. Adrienne Staib has added 170 kills and a team-high 60 total blocks.

Johnson said extending rallies and continuing to compete on every possession will be important against the Pioneers.

"Extending the rallies defensively and working hard without the ball as an offense," Johnson said. "Our biggest point of emphasis has been our mindset to compete and willingness to give every rep everything we've got. We have a clean slate, every team is entering 0-0."

The quarterfinal round begins Wednesday morning with Charleston facing Wheeling at 11:30 a.m. Other quarterfinal matchups include Frostburg State against Concord at 2 p.m. and West Virginia State against Fairmont State at 7 p.m.

The tournament continues with the semifinals Thursday at 4:30 and 7 p.m., followed by the MEC Championship match Friday at 7 p.m.

The winner of Wednesday's matchup between West Liberty and Glenville State will advance to Thursday's 7 p.m. semifinal against the winner of the West Virginia State-Fairmont State quarterfinal.




West Liberty University blends a small-town environment with a comprehensive college experience, fostering students' aspirations through hands-on learning, personalized support, and unique academic programs at both undergraduate and graduate levels. Learn more at westliberty.edu.