Wheeling, W. Va. – With a Mountain East Conference (MEC) playoff spot already locked up, the race is on to try and host the MEC tournament. The Wheeling University Volleyball team begins that quest on Tuesday when they head to Alderson Broaddus for their second to last regular season match at 7 PM. The Cardinals have to win out and have Charleston lose at least one of their remaining matches in order to have a shot at hosting this year's tournament.

Last time out, the Cardinals honored their seniors with a senior day non-conference match against Bluefield State. The Cardinals used a total team effort to earn a 3-0 sweep over the Big Blue to move to 21-7 overall and 20-3 against in region opponents. It was a big win in terms of the in-region standings as the Cardinals not only try to host the conference tournament, but also the NCAA Atlantic Regional Tournament here in a few weeks. It was also a chance for them to send their seniors off there home floor with a win if this is their final match inside the Alma Grace McDonough Center.

The biggest success of the day for the Cardinals came in the server's box. Wheeling picked up a season-best seven service aces on the day, as their servers took advantage of holes in the Bluefield State Defense. Leading the way was freshman Melia Gorrell, who finished the afternoon with four service aces. Two of those came during a big first set run that gave Wheeling a 1-0 match lead. Cameron Zinn followed right behind her with three service aces on in the match. Aside the service aces, the Cardinals used the serve position to their advantage as they set Bluefield State up in a bad spot.

When the ball was returned back over the net, the offense took advantage from there with a .274 hitting percentage. While it wasn't their .300+ hitting percentage from matches before, the Cardinals continued to hit the ball efficiently. That success was thanks to a strong setting game from junior Karly Niesen. Niesen finished the day with 23 assists and one attack opportunity on the day. She was named the MEC Offensive Player of the Week after registering 110 assists and five kills over the past week and looks to continue leading the offense into this final week.

Heading into the final week of the regular season, the Cardinals and Charleston both sit at 12-1 in conference play. Both teams have clinched a playoff spot, but the race is on to host the MEC Tournament next week. As of now, Charleston holds the tiebreaker over Wheeling, having won their conference matchup earlier this year. If Charleston is able to win out, they will clinch home court advantage for the tournament. However, if the Cardinals can win out and have Charleston lose one of their remaining two games, it would bring the tournament back to the Alma Grace McDonough Center.

The Matchup