Wheeling, W. Va. – After playing a tough 14-game non-conference schedule, the Wheeling University Volleyball team (10-4, 1-0) returned to Mountain East Conference (MEC) play on Tuesday night. They started things off on the right foot, earning a 3-0 week over Fairmont State in the Alma Grace McDonough Center.
The first set was back and forth early on with the team's battling to a 5-5 score in front of an amped-up crowd. It was the Cardinals that would find the advantage, going on a 13-1 run that made the score 18-6. Wheeling would take that lead and run with it on their way to a 25-12 set one win. The Wheeling hitters lead the way in that first set with a hitting percentage of .455 as Wheeling took a 1-0 lead.
It was tight once again in the second set, as Wheeling got ahead 5-4 in the early going. Much like they did in that first set, Wheeling opened things up on an 11-3 run and went on to win the set 25-12. Now with a 2-0 lead on their side, Wheeling was looking to close out the match in set three. However, Fairmont wasn't ready to go down without a fight and kept the Cardinals on their toes throughout that third set.
After Wheeling jumped out to a 4-1 lead in set three, Fairmont immediately battled back to tie the set. The back and forth continued throughout the set, and the teams were deadlocked at 12-12 halfway through the set. Wheeling gained the slight advantage and held an 18-16 lead, before finishing the set out with a 7-3 run that gave them a 25-19 win. It was Wheeling's fifth sweep of the Fall 2021 season and gets then started on the right foot.
Freshman Maddy Winters led the offense on the day with 11 kills, while Wheeling welcomed senior
Kayla Bekier back to the lineup with a 10 kill effort in the win. Defensively, Senior
Audrey Francis led the way with 20 digs while senior
Jenna Franks added 11 digs. Sophomore
Karly Niesen helped her setters throughout the night with 37 assists.
The Wheeling University Volleyball team is back in action on Friday when they head on the road to battle Frostburg State at 7 PM.
