PENSACOLA, Fla. – The national stage was a welcome experience once again for the Cardinals volleyball team. No. 2 Wheeling Jesuit swept No. 23 West Florida, 3-0, on a national ESPN3 broadcast after it outlasted No. 9 Central Missouri, 3-2, in the earlier Saturday afternoon.
 
In the day's first match, WJU (4-0) took the fifth set in convincing 15-5 style and defeated Central Missouri (18-25, 25-21, 25-20, 23-25, 15-5) in an AVCA Top 10 battle. On the national stage, the Cardinals made it a straight-sets match in 25-16, 25-20 and 25-23 over the Argos.
 
"It was a nice weekend for us and a total team effort with multiple players stepping up each match," noted WJU head coach Christy Benner.
 
All-American Haley Kindall earned Tournament MVP and setter Andrea Thobe was selected to the All-Tournament Team.
 
Kindall punctuated the night match with a block of a West Florida attack to end the match. The middle blocker accounted for 12 kills and a pair of blocks in the three sets, after she had eight kills and six total blocks against Central Missouri.
 
Thobe handed out 81 assists in eight sets to go with 19 digs and five kills on the day.
 
Breanna Kramer finished her first collegiate weekend with a 13-kill effort on .312 hit percentage and her first double-double as she finished with 18 digs.
 
Maddy Smyth downed nine early kills versus West Florida and newcomer Emily Reedy had 11 digs.
 
Kayce Krucki proved 44 digs in two matches on defense and Emma Schleucher gave a much-needed three kills, seven digs and an ace late against the Argos.
 
Vs. No. 9 Central Missouri
 
WJU hit a weekend-low .160, but had enough in the tank for a strong match-deciding 15-5 set.
 
Katie Campbell came up big with 12 kills and Lauran Graves 11 to pace the Cardinals' attack.
 
Vs. No. 23 West Florida
 
Leading 14-13 in the first set, WJU rattled off four-straight and nine of the next 10 points for a 23-14 advantage. Kindall finished the set with a kill and 25-16 final.
 
Tied at 18 of set two, a Kindall and Smyth blocking combo was part of a five-point surge and eventual 25-20 final.
 
Trailing 11-7, Schleucher downed three kills and served an ace to help the Cardinals run to the lead, 13-12. With a 13-13 score, a Kramer kill and three West Florida miscues gave WJU all the room it would need until Kindall's match-winning block, 25-23.
 
The Cardinals will be off until playing in Denver next Friday at the Colorado Premier Challenge.
 
West Florida Hampton Inn-vitational All-Tournament Team
Nickyla Gaverick - Findlay
Kourtney Thompson - Central Missouri
Maddie Jones - Central Missouri 
Andrea Thobe - Wheeling Jesuit
Haley Kindall - Wheeling Jesuit (MOST VALUABLE PLAYER)
Monique StCyr - West Florida
Rachel Neblett - West Florida
Kathryn Torre - West Florida