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MORGANTOWN - The West Virginia University volleyball team (3-1, 0-0 Big 12) is set to host its second non conference tournament of the season, welcoming Toledo, Lehigh and VCU to Morgantown for the West Virginia Invitational beginning today and running through Friday inside Hope Coliseum.
Toledo and Lehigh will open the tournament today at 2 p.m. ET, followed by West Virginia and VCU at 5 p.m. The Mountaineers will open Friday's action at 11 a.m. ET against Lehigh. VCU will face Toledo at 1:30 p.m., before West Virginia and Toledo conclude the invitational at 7 p.m.
West Virginia enters the weekend having won 18 of its last 19 non conference matches. Most recently, the Mountaineers went 2-0 at the Sunshine State Classic, hosted by Florida Gulf Coast, defeating Florida Atlantic, 3-2, before taking down FGCU, 3-1.
Defense has been the foundation for WVU this season. Following last weekend's action, West Virginia ranked No. 5 nationally and No. 2 among Power 4 schools in blocks per set, averaging 3.33 and trailing No. 1 Nebraska by 0.05.
Last weekend, the Mountaineers recorded the most block assists and the second most total blocks in a match by any team this season. The 21 total blocks and 40 block assists surpassed the previous program records of 18.5 total blocks, set on Oct. 18, 2018, at TCU, and 34 block assists, set on Nov. 11, 2014, against Baylor. The records date back to 2008 when the NCAA scoring format was changed to 25-point rally scoring.
Freshman middle blocker Mirjam Karoline Kask totaled 11 blocks against the Owls, tying for No. 2 in program history in single-match block assists and tying for No. 4 in total blocks.
Offensively, West Virginia is led by senior outside hitter Nina Horning, who has recorded 66 kills while hitting .282 on the season. Senior setter Alexis Finnvold has totaled 137 assists and ranks No. 10 in the Big 12 in assists per set.
VCU (1-3, 0-0 Atlantic 10) enters the week after going 1-1 at the VCU Invitational, defeating East Tennessee State, 3-2, before falling to Virginia in three sets.
The Rams' attack is led by senior middle blocker Nina Boledovicova, who has tallied 35 kills while hitting .333 on the season. Junior setter Cansin Sendir orchestrates the offense with a team-high 111 assists.
Defensively, junior libero Kayla Foley leads VCU with 50 digs, while junior middle blocker Letizia Galli has recorded 14 blocks.
Today's match marks the 11th all-time meeting between West Virginia and VCU. The Mountaineers lead the series, 9-1, with the teams meeting for the first time since Sept. 27, 1996, when WVU earned a 3-0 victory.
Eric Little and Sam Bailey will have the call for today's match on ESPN plus.
Lehigh (6-0, 0-0 Patriot) enters the West Virginia Invitational undefeated, marking the Mountain Hawks' best start since 2018.
Last weekend, Lehigh went 2-0 at the Delaware State Invitational, sweeping New Jersey Institute of Technology before defeating host Delaware State, 3-1.
Senior right side Ufuoma Omene was named MVP of the Delaware State Invitational after recording 29 kills while hitting .448 across three matches. She also earned Patriot League Player of the Week honors. Sophomore outside hitter Mary Massias leads the team with 48 kills on the season, while setters junior Grace Slovensky and senior Abby Felkai have recorded 84 and 80 assists, respectively.
On the defensive side, junior defensive specialist/libero Sophia Bond leads the team with 66 digs, while senior middle blocker Olivia Lasee has recorded a team-high 27 blocks.
Friday's match marks the first all-time meeting between West Virginia and Lehigh. Shawn McLaughlin took over as head coach of the Mountain Hawks in 2025 and holds an 18-14 overall record.
Michael Minnich and Sam Bailey will have the call for the Lehigh match on ESPN plus.
Toledo (4-1, 0-0 MAC) enters the invitational after splitting two matches last week, falling to Notre Dame, 3-1, before sweeping Purdue Fort Wayne in three sets.
Senior outside hitter Ava Siefke leads the Rockets' attack with 53 kills on the season. Sophomore setter Maddy Bach has recorded a team-high 94 assists, while junior setter Janelle Green follows with 74.
Sophomore outside hitter Jessica Costlow and junior libero Grace Frieberger have led Toledo defensively with 62 and 58 digs, respectively. Junior middle blocker Lilly Merk leads the Rockets with 11 blocks.
Friday's match marks the eighth all-time meeting between West Virginia and Toledo. The Mountaineers lead the series, 6-1, with the most recent meeting coming on Aug. 30, 2014, when WVU earned a 3-0 victory.