Wheeling, W. Va. – The Wheeling University Volleyball team (17-4, 8-0) returned home for the first time since October 8^th on Wednesday when they hosted the University of Charleston. It wasn't easy, but Wheeling was able to come away with a 3-0 victory in front of the home crowd.

Right away, the Golden Eagles showed they weren't going without a fight as the team's battled to a 3-3 tie early in the set, and Wheeling held an 11-7 lead in the middle of the set and held on for a 19-18 lead late in the set. The Cardinals would close out the set scoring six of the final seven points in the set to win 25-19 and take a 1-0 lead in the match. Wheeling totaled 15 kills in the set and had a hitting percentage of .256. With the first set behind them, things were only going to get tougher for the Cardinals as the night went on.

The second set proved just that as the teams went back and forth the entire set, forcing a win-by-two scenario. This was the longest back and forth of the season for the Cardinals as they traded the next ten points to tie the score at 29-29. It would be Wheeling that would take advantage led by senior Lexi Smith. Smith slammed down a kill for the 30^th point of the set and had a Block Assist on the 31^st point that won the set. It was the most points scored in any set this season by Wheeling, as they showed they can grind out a win when they need to. Wheeling kept their hitting percentage in the mid-.200s and was looking for the sweep entering the third set.

In the third set, Wheeling came our strong, taking a 6-1 lead right off the bat. However, Charleston stormed back, going on a 10-2 run, and took the lead 11-8 in the middle of the set. Charleston was able to extend that lead to 19-16 before Wheeling stormed back on a 6-0 run and took a 22-19 lead. Wheeling would continue to battle throughout the set and went into another win-by-two scenario. This one didn't go nearly as long as after falling behind 26-25, Wheeling scored the final three points to sin the set 28-26, sophomore Reagan Rosi got the final kill of the game to hand Wheeling the sweep.

Freshman Mady Winters continued her strong freshman season, leading the offense with 17 kills and a .464 hitting percentage. Smith was the other double-digit killer in the game, finishing the night with 12 kills. Sophomore setter Karly Niesen picked up 40 assists in the game, and Audrey Francis led the defense with 15 digs. As a team, Wheeling totaled 51 kills and a .265 hitting percentage in the game as the offense continues to be a driving force in Wheeling's success. They look to continue to lead the way as Wheeling heads into the latter half of the 2021 season.

The Wheeling University Volleyball team is back in action on Friday when they hit the road to face West Virginia State at 7 PM.