Wheeling, W. Va. – On Tuesday night, the top two teams in the Mountain East Conference (MEC) North Division met in the Alma Grace McDonough Center. The Wheeling Volleyball team (16-7, 9-1) battled throughout the night, and came through with the 3-0 victory over Fairmont State. Redshirt senior Allonda Watkins had a big day, leading the way with 14 kills in the win.

It was a battle throughout the night, and that battle started right away in set one. After Wheeling scored the first point of the set, the two teams went back and forth until Fairmont State held a slight 10-9 lead through the first 19 points. That is when the Cardinals would hit their stride after a Falcons attack error tied the set at 10-10. Wheeling would use it, going on an 11-1 run that turned it into a 20-11 Wheeling advantage. Riley Kindall and Allonda Watkins led the way during the run with two kills each to create separation. A Watkins kill brought it to set point in favor of Wheeling at 24-16, and Cameron Zinn would finish things off with a service ace that gave the Cardinals a 25-16 set win and a 1-0 lead in the match.

After dropping the first set Fairmont State came out on fire in set two to take a 4-1 lead through the first five points of the set. The Cardinals would flip the script back in their favor, responding with six straight points, including four kills from Watkins, and took their first lead of the set at 7-4. The Falcons wouldn't back down battling back every time Wheeling created separation and by sets end things were tied at 19-19. Both teams were looking to make a move and the Cardinals would strike first scoring three straight points to go ahead 22-19. After a Fairmont State kill made it a 22-20 set, the Cardinals would end things with three straight points to take set two 25-20. With a 2-0 lead on their side, Wheeling was looking to end things right there and not allow the Falcons to gain any momentum.

Set three would start with a Lexi Smith kill, as the Cardinals made good on their goal taking an 8-1 lead early in set three. Wheeling added five more points later in the set and forced a Falcons timeout with the score sitting at 13-4 in favor of Wheeling.
However, the Falcons continued to fight and cut the Wheeling lead to 23-13 late in the set. Fairmont State added three more points to make it a 23-16 set and it looked like the Falcons would get back in it. Tylah Yeomans shut down the threat with a kill to bring up set point for the Cardinals, and Wheeling would win the set on a Falcon attack error 25-16. The Cardinals would move to 9-1 thanks to the 3-0 win as they set themselves up for the MEC playoff push.

Leading the way for the Cardinals was Allonda Watkins, who had a big night with 14 kills to lead the way. Tylah Yeomans finished with 12 kills to round out the double digit attackers and Riley Kindall added eight kills. As a team, Wheeling finished with a. 298 hitting percentage while setter Karly Niesen finished with 37 assists. Chylyn Pate led the defensive effort with 16 digs on the day and Kindall rounded out the back line with 10 digs. It was a big momentum boost for the Cardinals as they continue to push towards the MEC tournament.

The Wheeling University Volleyball team returns to action on Friday, October 21st, when they hit the road to face West Virginia Wesleyan with tip off at 7:00 p.m.