By: Nora Carroll

West Virginia Wesleyan College’s women’s volleyball program has started the season with a historical impact. The Bobcats are heading into conference play with a 10-4 record, and are ready to keep winning.

Bobcat volleyball is being led in the 2024 season by coach, Nancy Wheeler and assistant coach, Ashley Stanton, along with four captains, Emily Denison, Alexis Moeschler, Jalynn West, and Malaysia Jackson. 

The Bobcats attended three tournaments leading up to the beginning of conference play. The team traveled to the Coker Cobra Classic at Coker University, Big Blue Classic at Bluefield State University, and a tournament at Concord University. 

The team started the season traveling seven hours down to Hartsville, South Carolina to Coker University. They would end up going 2-2 over the course of the weekend, clinching victory in five sets over both the Conference of the Carolina’s Coker University and Francis Marion University. After the tournament weekend, sophomore middle blocker Emily Denison was announced a part of the 2024 Cobra Classic all tournament team. Denison racked up some impressive statistics throughout the weekend, including fifty-six kills, fifty-six digs, eight blocks, and seven aces. “She is such a great leader,” Bobcat Volleyball head coach, Nancy Wheeler praised, “I love her energy and her fire, always looking at the positive side of things and wants to do better for the team and the team’s success.” Denison was also awarded Offensive Player of the Week by the Mountain East Conference. 

The following weekend, Bobcat Volleyball headed to the Big Blue Classic in Bluefield, West Virginia, and they turned up the heat. The Bobcats went 4-0 over the weekend, sweeping Salem University in three sets for the second time in a week, defeating Lees-McRae College and Erskine College in five sets, who were two other teams from the Conference of the Carolinas, and wrapping up the weekend defeating Shorter University in four sets. The tournament recognized a stand out performance from sophomore outside hitter Alauna Wilson. Wilson was swinging away all weekend long, finishing the weekend with forty-seven kills, even receiving her career high of 17 kills in a match. “Alauna started out on fire at the beginning of the season,” Wheeler noted, “She really has come a long way in tooling the block, which is one thing we had worked a lot on in practice. I am very proud of her.”

The last weekend before starting conference play, West Virginia Wesleyan College’s volleyball team traveled to Concord University for their last tournament. The Bobcats went 2-2 over the weekend, sweeping Bluefield State University in three sets and defeating University of Pikeville in four sets. Once again, Concord University had another bobcat on their all tournament team. Bhrooke Axe, a sophomore middle blocker, was awarded the all tournament honor. Axe earned thirty-five kills and three solo blocks throughout the weekend. “She showed a very impressive game. Bhrooke continues to be such a consistent force on the team,” Wheeler remarked. 

Now it is time for the West Virginia Wesleyan College Women’s Volleyball team to step on the gas as they begin competing in the Mountain East Conference’s (M.E.C.) 2024 season. “I love the culture of the team, all the girls on the team get along very well, and that shows when they get into gameplay. That is whether they are in the game or on the bench cheering, I think this team is very resilient and they have shown a lot of grit,” Wheeler said. The M.E.C. preseason polls predict West Virginia Wesleyan College to finish fifth in the south division, but the Bobcats are on a mission to prove the rankings wrong.

Photo by Michelle Denison