MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Following a week away from action, the No. 2-ranked West Virginia University rifle team competes against two Great America Rifle Conference (GARC) opponents this weekend at the WVU Rifle Range inside the WVU Natatorium.
 
WVU (4-0, 3-0 GARC) opens the weekend against No. 5 Akron (4-1, 0-0) on Saturday, Nov. 16, and will lineup against No. 7 NC State (3-1, 0-0) on Sunday, Nov. 17. Both matches, which are scheduled to begin at 8 a.m. ET, are free and open to the public.
 
Live score links are available at WVUsports.com.
 
The Mountaineers return to the range following a pair conference road victories on Nov. 2-3. WVU shot 4704 in a win at No. 8 Ole Miss on Nov. 2, in Oxford, Mississippi. The squad also shot 4714 in a victory over No. 12 Memphis on Nov. 3, in Memphis, Tennessee.
 
"It's nice to have a little bit of a break between matches, but we're excited to get back in the range against two league foes," 14-year coach Jon Hammond said. "Akron and NC State continue to improve every year. NC State has a young team, but I know both squads are just looking to shoot some good scores on the road to help their NCAA average, and we're looking to do the same. We're shooting against ourselves, and we're going to challenge ourselves to shoot the best that we possibly can."
 
The Mountaineers enter the weekend boasting the nation's best season average of 4711.25, including averages of 2337.5 in smallbore and 2373.75 in air rifle. Senior Milica Babic paces WVU with a 597.25 air rifle season average, while classmate Morgan Phillips boasts a team-best 588.5 smallbore average.
 
WVU is 17-0 all-time against UA. The Mountaineers claimed a 4704-4662 win over the Zips in Akron, Ohio, last season, with a score of 2376-2350 in air rifle and 2328-2312 in smallbore. Akron, who is led by long-time coach Newt Engle, averages an aggregate total of 4660.0 this season to rank in the top 10 nationally.
 
Additionally, West Virginia will meet NC State for the 21st time in program history. The Mountaineers hold a perfect 20-0 mark over the Wolfpack since the series began in 1959. The two teams last met on Nov. 17, 2018, as WVU picked up a 4690-4638 win in Morgantown.
 
Looking ahead, WVU will close its fall slate in Annapolis, Maryland, on Saturday, Nov. 23, with a match against Navy at 8 a.m. ET.
 
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVURifle on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.