WHEELING, W.Va. (Nov. 15) - The No. 12 Wheeling Jesuit University volleyball team moved on to the semifinals of the NCAA Atlantic Regional Tournament with a 3-0 (25-17, 25-13, 25-20) win over Shaw Thursday night at the McDonough Center.
The Cardinals improve to 35-3 overall and will meet Clarion tomorrow, Friday, November 16 at 7:30 p.m. in the semifinals. Clarion scored a 3-2 win over Shippensburg prior to WJU's match. Meanwhile, the Bears close out their season at 23-9 after winning the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Championship last week.
Junior
Haley Kramer (Norwalk, Ohio/Monroeville) recorded 13 kills on 20 attacks (.450 hitting percentage) with four blocks, while sophomore
Cassie Meyer (Jackson Center, Ohio/Jackson Center) posted a team-high with 14 kills on 29 attacks (.345 hitting percentage). Junior setter
Stephanie Sylvester (Oregon, Ohio/St. Ursula Academy) finished with five kills of her own to go with 39 assists and six digs.
The high-energy Bears hung with the Cardinals early in the first set, but Wheeling Jesuit eventually overwhelmed their guests. WJU led 11-8 and took control of the set with a 8-3 run, before closing out a 25-17 win to take a 1-0 lead.
Wheeling Jesuit had its best set of the night in the second frame. The Cardinals posted 19 kills and only committed three errors (.457 hitting percentage), while holding Shaw to just eight kills in a 25-13 set win.
The Bears played the Cardinals close throughout the third set. WJU clinged to a 19-17 lead late, before taking advantage of a pair of attack errors and a service error to help close out the match with a 25-20 win.
Shaw's Keveesha Wattley led the Bears with nine kills and added three blocks in the loss.
The Cardinals will take on Clarion in the NCAA Atlantic Regional Semifinals tomorrow, Friday, November 16 at 7:30 p.m. inside the McDonough Center. The two teams met earlier this season in Wheeling, when the Cardinals earned a 3-0 win (
Box Score) over the Golden Eagles.
