WISE, Va. – The UVa-Wise women's volleyball team will be on the road this weekend for a pair of Mountain East Conference matches at the University of Charleston and West Virginia State. The Cavaliers (14-13, 9-3 MEC) take on the Golden Eagles (15-8, 10-2 MEC) Friday at 7 p.m. before facing the Yellow Jackets (7-15, 3-9 MEC) Saturday at 1 p.m.
 
The Cavs are looking to snap a three-match skid this weekend after losing their first MEC match on the road this season Tuesday night at Concord University in five sets. Despite building a two sets to none lead on the Mountain Lions the Cavs were unable to win a third set and fell 3-2 (23-25, 20-25, 25-18, 27-25, 15-10). Last week UVa-Wise came out on the losing end of another five-set match at home against King University before taking a set off of seventh-ranked and MEC leader Wheeling Jesuit University in a 3-1 loss last Friday.
 
Four games out from the end of the regular season, UVa-Wise currently sits in fourth place in the conference standings just one game behind Charleston, one and a half games behind Fairmont State and three games behind Wheeling Jesuit.
 
Friday night's contest with the Golden Eagles proves to be a pivotal matchup as Charleston is on a six-match win streak and has won 15 of its past 17 sets, including three straight 3-0 sweeps. The Golden Eagles have earned five consecutive MEC wins by defeating Shepherd, Notre Dame College, Glenville State, West Virginia Wesleyan and West Virginia State as of late.
 
In the Cavs first meeting with Charleston on Sept. 22, UVa-Wise won a very close, hard-fought match 3-2 (25-21, 25-16, 20-25, 17-25, 16-14). The Cavs mounted a 2-0 lead and then held on for a five-set win after staving off a Golden Eagles' match point in the fifth set.
 
West Virginia State will take on Concord at home Friday night before hosting the Cavs Saturday. The Yellow Jackets currently sit in 10th place in the MEC standings and have lost seven of their last nine matches. West Virginia State's last league win came against Glenville State (3-0) in Institute, West Virginia, on Oct. 30 as the Yellow Jackets have only won six of their past 27 sets played.
 
UVa-Wise did not give up more than 20 points in any set during its first contest with West Virginia State back on Sept. 25. The Cavs defeated the visiting Yellow Jackets 3-0 (25-18, 25-11, 25-20) in Wise to end a three-match homestand.
 
Following this weekend's matches the Cavs will wrap up their five-match MEC road trip and the regular season next week when UVa-Wise travels to Shepherd University and Fairmont State.
 
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