Wheeling, W. Va. - After playing a grueling 13-game non-conference schedule that included three different tournaments, the Wheeling University Volleyball team gets back to Mountain East Conference (MEC) play on Tuesday when they host Fairmont State at 7 PM. They come into conference play with momentum on their side, after they won each of their last six games, and have won 15 of their last 17 sets played.
The last time they took the court, they faced Ohio Dominican University and were in a dog fight winning the game 3-2. The match went back and forth throughout the night, with the teams trading the first four sets before coming to a deciding fifth and final set. After battling to a 6-4 score early on, Wheeling took control of the final set, going on a 7-3 run to extend their lead to 13-7. They would close out the match with a 15-9 win and improve their season record to 9-4.
It was a good day for the Wheeling hitters, who combined for a .215 hitting percentage in the match and a total of 55 kills. Leading the way once again was freshman
Riley Kindall (Westerville, OH./Westerville Central HS), who had 15 kills and a hitting percentage of .306. Complimenting her on the offensive side of the ball was senior
Lexi Reinert (Cincinnati, OH./Ursuline Academy), who had 11 kills and 26 total attacks in the win.
However, a hitter is nothing without a strong setter, and Wheeling's
Karly Niesen (Cincinnati, OH./Roger Bacon) was on fire throughout the night. She totaled a season-high 50 assists in the game, to only three errors. The sophomore has been nothing but consistent throughout her Cardinals' career and has started off on fire once again. Leading the defensive effort was senior
Audrey Francis (Sidney, OH./Fairlawn), who had 32 digs on the day.
With the non-conference slate of games behind them, Wheeling now focuses on their eighth straight MEC Championship title defense. It begins with a rematch of last spring's MEC Championship game, where Wheeling defeated Fairmont State 3-0 in Institute, West Virginia. Wheeling went 2-1 against the Falcons last season and had their incredible 219-straight conference regular-season win streak snapped in the second meeting between the two teams. Wheeling is hoping to keep the momentum from spring going and start out the 2021 fall conference schedule on the right foot.
The Match-up
The match-up between Wheeling and Fairmont State is a storied rivalry, dating back to the 2002 regular season. However, Wheeling has been a dominant force over that time, going 39-1 against Fairmont State. The only loss they have suffered against the Falcons came last season when they fell 3-1 in the second game of a doubleheader. In those 40 previous match-ups, Wheeling has swept Fairmont 28 times, including a sweep in last year's MEC Championship game.
That game went three sets, with Wheeling winning the sets 25-15, 25-16, and 25-19 to pick up the 3-0 victory.
Kayla Bekier led the Cardinals with 18 kills in the game, while
Lexi Smith tallied 14 kills in the win that gave Wheeling their eighth-straight MEC Championship. Francis had 16 digs to lead the defensive effort, and
Karly Niesen finished the day with 43 assists.
The Details
Tip-off for Tuesday's match is scheduled for 7 PM in the Alma Grace McDonough Center. You can watch the game live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.
