WHEELING, W.Va. (Nov. 21) – The top-seeded Wheeling University volleyball team opened up the Mountain East Conference (MEC) Tournament with a 3-0 win over Charleston Thursday evening inside the McDonough Center.
 
THE RUNDOWN

• Final Score: Wheeling 3, Charleston 0 (26-24, 25-17, 25-20)
• Records: Wheeling (29-3) | Charleston (12-21)
• Location: McDonough Center – Wheeling, West Virginia

TEAM LEADERS

• Junior Cassie Meyer (Jackson Center, Ohio/Jackson Center) led the team with 15 kills on 37 attacks with three errors (.324 hitting percentage). 
• She also added 10 digs and three blocks for a double-double in the win.
• Junior Breanna Kramer (Norwalk, Ohio/Monroeville) posted 13 kills on 26 attacks with just two errors (.423) and added 12 digs for a kill-dig double-double.
• Senior Haley Kramer (Norwalk, Ohio/Monroeville) finished with 10 kills and six blocks.
• Senior Stephanie Sylvester (Oregon, Ohio/St. Ursula Academy), who was recently named the MEC Player of the Year, guided the offense with 40 assists and also served up five kills.
• Junior Audrey Francis (Sidney, Ohio/Fairlawn), who became a three-time MEC Libero of the Year this week, led the defense with 17 digs. 

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Wheeling jumped out to a 10-4 lead early in the match.
• Charleston rallied back and eventually took its first lead at 17-16, before eventually opening up a 21-19 advantage.
• Both teams exchanged runs and the Golden Eagles were on the brink of taking the set when they led 24-23.
• Wheeling answered back with three-straight points, including a kill by Sylvester to clinch the set at 26-24.
• The top-seeded Cardinals seized momentum from the first set win. The team opened up a 14-5 lead in the second set and eventually enjoyed a 20-9 advantage.
• Charleston went on a run late to bring the score back to within six at 23-17, but Wheeling closed things out with back-to-back kills by Meyer to secure a 25-17 win and a two-set lead.
• The Cardinals enjoyed leads of 9-4 and 14-8 early in the third set.
• Charleston notched six of the next eight points to pull within two, 16-14, before a Wheeling run of four-straight rebuilt the lead to six.
• The Golden Eagles managed to claw back to within four at 23-19, but kills by Meyer and Haley Kramer helped the Cardinals eliminate Charleston from the tournament field.

 UP NEXT

• Wheeling will take on Davis & Elkins in a semifinal match tomorrow, Friday, November 22 at 7:30 p.m.
• Davis & Elkins knocked off West Liberty 3-1 in their quarterfinal matchup.
• The Cardinals defeated the Senators 3-0 (26-24, 25-14, 25-16) in their only match this season in Elkins.
• D&E is in its first season competing in the MEC.
• West Virginia State and Urbana will face-off in the other semifinal match at 5 p.m.
• A live stream both matches and the entire MEC Tournament will be available online and on The Mountain East Digital Network OTT app (Roku, AppleTV, Android, and Amazon Fire TV).