Buckahnnon, W. Va. – The Wheeling University Volleyball team (16-7, 10-1) started their weekend road trip out with a match in Buckhannon, West Virginia against West Virginia Wesleyan. The Cardinals would end up clinching a spot in the MEC tournament with a 3-0 win to kick off the weekend. There is still work to do as the Cardinals now focus on a chance at hosting the annual MEC Tournament.

In set one, it was the Bobcats who came out firing, scoring the first four points of the set. A Riley Kindall kill would start the Cardinals offense, but they still found themselves trailing 7-3 in the early going. Tylah Yeomans then came in and picked up her first kill of the night as the Cardinals battled back into the set and made it a 10-9 West Virginia Wesleyan lead. A 4-0 Bobcats run created some separation and the Cardinals would trail 16-12 in the late going. Wheeling would tie the game for the first time going on a short 4-0 run that tied the match at 16-16. It would stay tied late in the set at 22-22 and West Virginia Wesleyan score to make it a 23-22 score. Wheeling's Yeomans would tie the set with a kill and the Cardinals would score the final three points to get the 25-23 set win.

Set two was just as competitive early on as the two teams sat at a 6-6 tie early in the set. A Mady Winters kill sparked Wheeling's first run of the night as they scored six of the next nine points to take a 12-9 lead. The Bobcats would stay close to the Cardinals and Wheeling held a 14-13 advantage as the set reached the midway point. The Cardinals would add another 6-1 run and that would be the run that sealed the deal. Wheeling had a 23-16 lead a few points later and a Bobcats kill kept the set alive. An attack error brought the ball back to Wheeling's court and a setter error finished the set and gave Wheeling the 2-0 match lead. They looked to end it right there with a sweep as they kicked off this weekend trip.

Set three would be the first set where the Cardinals would score the first point, but once again things would be tied 6-6. The two teams continued to go back and forth and Wheeling held a 12-10 advantage as the set hit the midway point. Allonda Watkins knocked down a kill to get the ball back to Wheeling and they went on a 3-0 run that made it 15-10. They finally got their big run when the score was 17-12 as the Cardinals knocked down five straight points. Three kills by three different Cardinals led the run and Wheeling was set up with a 22-12 lead. West Virginia Wesleyan added two more points before a Lexi Smith kill and an attack error gave Wheeling a 25-14 set win. They won the match 3-0 and clinched a MEC playoff spot for the 10th consecutive year.

The Cardinals were led on the day by sophomore Mady Winters, who finished with 13 kills on the day. Riley Kindall finished right behind her with 10 kills and were the only two Cardinals to finish the day in double figure kills. The Cardinals hit a season-best .340 on the day thanks to good sets by Karly Niesen. She finished with 44 assists and led Wheeling's offense throughout the night. Melia Gorrell got her first start as Libero for the Cardinals, and led the defense with eight digs on the night. Kindall tied her for the team lead with eight digs and Raegan Rosi finished with seven.

The Wheeling University Volleyball team returns to action tomorrow when they travel to Davis & Elkins with tip-off at 2 PM. You can watch the game live by clicking HERE and follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.