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17 vb mec team championship
2
West Liberty WLU 20-14
3
Winner Wheeling Jesuit WJU 31-5
West Liberty WLU
20-14
2
Final
3
Wheeling Jesuit WJU
31-5
Winner
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 4 5 F
West Liberty WLU 25 13 18 25 12 (2)
Wheeling Jesuit WJU 21 25 25 22 15 (3)

Game Recap: Volleyball | | Chris Myers

Cardinals Final Push Enough, Capture MEC Crown

MEC Postgame Press Conference
MEC Match Story
MEC Photo Gallery
WHEELING, W.Va. – For a second night in a row, the young Cardinals found a way to win at the fifth-set turn. Trailing 8-6 in the match-deciding set, Wheeling Jesuit pushed through the side switch with five-straight points and rode the final push past West Liberty to capture the Mountain East Conference Volleyball Tournament crown.
 
Haley Kramer and Kenzie Schroer sliced two kills apiece and led the Cardinals (31-5) in the title five-point swing for the 15-12 fifth set win. The Hilltoppers (20-14) grabbed the opening set (25-21), before the home team posted 25-13 and 25-18 second and third sets. West Liberty forced the fifth set with a 25-22 fourth set score.
 
"Again, it was a lot of fun. You know with our young team (eight freshmen, five sophomores and two seniors) we have had a lot of ups and downs. We knew it would be a battle and we had to see how our turnaround (after playing five sets in the semifinals Friday night) would be with our young squad. Both teams (Urbana and West Liberty) prepared for us and went at us and we responded. Luckily, we came out on the winning end," said Cardinals head coach Christy Benner.
 
Following a fifth set where WJU won 15-13 over Urbana in the Semifinals, the top seed had enough in the end and gutted out the victory for its fifth MEC Tournament title in five seasons over upset-minded West Liberty.
 
"We haven't been to five sets this season. Going to the fifth set last night, it gave us a little bit of confidence. We saw the young kids be a bit scared last evening, but tonight they had more confidence," explained Benner.
 
In fact, it was only the third fifth set for the Cardinals of the 2017 campaign. WJU is now 3-0 in the match-deciding set with its other 3-2 win coming against Davenport back on September 8 in the team's sixth match of the year. Like Friday night, the Cardinals trailed at the turn to switch sides as they did 8-4 Friday evening.
 
WJU placed four on the MEC All-Tournament Team in Cassie Meyer, Stephanie Sylvester, Haley Kramer and Maddy Smyth.
 
The Cardinals now wait their NCAA Division II fate on Monday night when the 64-team field is announced. WJU has been the No. 1 rated team in the Atlantic Region all fall and should be the host of the Nov. 30 to Dec. 2 eight-team Regional.
 
On the night, Meyer pounded a match-best 24 kills on 69 swings, while she dug 15 attacks. Smyth added 15 kills and seven total blocks. Schroer chipped in 11 kills and three blocks with Kramer at nine kills and four blocks.
 
Sylvester recorded her second 60-plus assist performance of the weekend with 62 to go with 19 digs and four kills. Audrey Francis paced the Cardinal defense with 26 digs and Taylor Weickert had seven.
 
"The atmosphere tonight was crazy," noted Sylvester. "I have to trust my hitters and I have a lot of confidence in all of our hitters out there."
 
With the young WJU roster this fall, Benner noted, this MEC title team will hold a different place for her.
 
"It will be special. In the beginning of the season we had to deal with a lot of adversity to starters going down with injury to players leaving and were really a lot of ups and downs throughout. With eight freshmen, five sophomores and two seniors, we have a special group that bonded well. Our senior Maddy Smyth and Abby Moffit did a wonderful job of mentoring all of them," explained Benner. "They just play as hard as they can and never give up. In my 16 years, though, I have never had this many crazy things happen all in the same year, but I couldn't ask for a better end (with the title) right now."
 
MEC All-Tournament Team
Katlynn Dunlap (Urbana)
Carly Granger (Charleston)
Olivia Baumhoer (West Liberty)
Kailee Cunningham (West Liberty)
Raimey Benson (West Liberty)
Haley Kramer (Wheeling Jesuit)
Maddy Smyth (Wheeling Jesuit)
Cassie Meyer (Wheeling Jesuit)
Stephanie Sylvester (Wheeling Jesuit)
 
 
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