Wheeling, W. Va- Over the past four years, the Wheeling University Volleyball team (23-5, 14-1) have been one of the most successful programs in the entire Mountain East Conference (MEC). A large part of that has been because of this class of eight seniors, who will be honored before their regular season finale against Rival West Liberty on Friday at 7 PM at the Alma Grace McDonough Center.

This group has made the playoffs in each of the four years they have been members of the team and have made it to the Regional playoffs every year except for last spring due to a lack of a regional tournament. Overall, the group is 104-15 over their four years with the Cardinals and have seen the program through some of the highest highs, and some lows over that time span.

The last time the Wheeling University Volleyball team took the court, those seniors led the way against Alderson Broaddus University. The Cardinals were able to come up with the 3-0 sweep over the Battlers and were led by a trio of hitters with double-digit kills. This win over Alderson Broaddus pushed the Cardinals to 23-5 overall and 14-1 in the Mountain East Conference.

Two of those seniors, Lexi Smith and Kayla Bekier, were part of that trio of double-digit killers in the game, picking up 11 and 10 kills respectively. Joining them was freshman Riley Kindall, who finished the day with 11 kills, while sophomore setter Karly Niesen played her role with a team-high 43 assists in the game. Defensively, senior Audrey Francis was the leader with 14 digs, and was the only player with double digit digs in the game.

With the win, Wheeling was able to maintain their ranking as the top team in the NCAA Division II Atlantic Region. They are 22-5 against NCAA Division II competition this season and are 20-5 against in-region opponents. With the MEC playoffs looming next week, Wheeling looks to keep winning and find their way back to the Regional Tournament like they did during the 2019 season.

The Match Up

The Cardinals will take the court again this Friday against a well-known opponent in West Liberty University. The last time these two teams faced off was October 12 with Wheeling coming up with the 3-2 victory. Wheeling fell behind in that match two sets to nothing but were able to battle back and claim the 3-2 victory to keep their lead strong in the MEC North Division.

Wheeling was able to get strong contributions from Kayla Bekier with 21 kills, Lexi Smith with 9 kills, and Lexi Reinert with 7 kills. While Senior Audrey Francis led the way with 38 digs on the other end. Both opponents know each other well and with a tight match last time expect a competitive match up from both teams.

The Details

Tip-off for Friday's match is scheduled for 7 PM inside the Alma Grace McDonough Center, with senior day ceremonies being held before tip-off. You can watch the game live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.