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West Virginia Volleyball Is ‘Skye High’ In 2020 Season

Oak Glen Alum Sparks Record Year for WVU

Photo by Seth Seebaugh/WVU Athletics Oak Glen grad Skye Stokes had a breakout season for the Mountaineers, who are awaiting the announcement to see if they made the NCAA Tournament for the first time.

MORGANTOWN — Former Oak Glen first team all-state standout Skye Stokes wanted to go to college somewhere she could make a change.

The 2019 W.Va. Class AA Player of the Year didn’t have to leave the state to find that opportunity at West Virginia University.

In fact, Stokes has already made a difference as a freshman.

During the week of Nov. 8-14, Stokes was named the West Virginia Student-Athlete of the Week for her performance against the nation’s top-ranked Texas Longhorns.

Stokes turned in six aces, including three straight to start the match and also tallied 11 digs before Texas rallied for the win.

“When I started off with three aces, I thought ‘how is this happening?'” Stokes said. “It was like magic. We were just playing like we had nothing to lose. We stuck in well with them and our coaches said not to be nervous and to play like we knew how.”

Also during that week, Stokes supplied a total of nine points to help her collect the honor.

Stokes’ performance has helped change the culture at WVU, which has won a program-best eight conference games this year and also earned its first win in Norman against Oklahoma in program history.

Stokes had 14 digs in the win over the Sooners, just one shy of her career-high.

“It was a dream picking a college where I could make a change and make a difference,” Stokes said. “We’ve had so many firsts this year for West Virginia. It’s really a big plus for West Virginia volleyball.”

The Mountaineers are currently sitting at 8-8 and are waiting to see if they get selected to the NCAA Tournament, which will be played during the spring semester due to COVID-19. A berth in the NCAA Tournament would be another first for West Virginia’s volleyball program.

“It would be amazing if we were to get selected but we have to wait until January to see if we made the tournament,” Stokes said. “We just have to stay in shape and keep working hard. I have a younger sister who likes to play, too, so that helps me stay on my game.”

As it pertains to Stokes’ Student-Athlete of the Week Award, teammate Briana Lynch has also been the recipient of that accolade several times this year, so it was nice for Stokes to follow the senior’s path.

“Bri is an amazing athlete,” Stokes said. “She makes the game simple. She always says ‘all you have to do is hit the ball down.’ She’s one of the best seniors and we really rely on her to score.”

Stokes has played in all 16 of her team’s matches as a freshman and her biggest impact on the team has come on defense where she is second on the team with 158 digs.

Offensively, Stokes has accumulated 38.5 points, 27 kills, 11 aces and eight assists.

“I’ve loved coming in as a freshman,” Stokes said. “It’s been a great year, the atmosphere is great and the coaches and all the girls have been amazing and supportive.

“It hasn’t been much different than club volleyball for me. I was playing with girls from Texas in club, too. So, in my mind I’m just as good as them so I just play.”

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