Wheeling, W. Va. – This weekend, Wheeling University will be welcoming back friends, family, and alumni for Homecoming and Family Weekend 2022. The Wheeling University Volleyball team (12-6, 5-0) will kick-off the weekend festivities on Friday as one of two Mountain East Conference (MEC) matches over the weekend. They open up with Concord on Friday evening at 5 PM and follow it up with a match against Glenville State on Saturday at 4 PM.

Last time out, the Cardinals battled rival West Liberty in "The Battle for Wheeling" as they swept the Hilltoppers 3-0. In all three sets, the Cardinals got out to a big lead early thanks to a run and we're able to maintain that hold. The first set was the closest of the three affairs, with Wheeling getting out to a 6-1 lead and holding it to win the set 25-29. The Hilltoppers took their first lead of the match in set two when they had a slight 7-6 advantage, but a Cardinal run in the middle of the set created separation and gave Wheeling a 25-18 set win and a 2-0 advantage in the match. In set three, the Cardinals got out to their biggest lead of the night going on an 11-0 run to start the set. They finished things out with a 25-13 set win and moved to 5-0 to start conference play.

Leading the offense was another strong performance from Allonda Watkins, who finished with a team-best 12 kills and a team-high .406 hitting percentage. Over her last three matches the redshirt senior has 40 kills on 75 total attacks for a .426 hitting percentage. She has been the Cardinals clean-up swinger and was able to end last night'satch with the final kill in the third set. Sophomore Riley Kindall was right behind her with eight kills on the day as she was swinging well from the outside. She finished the night with a .300 hitting percentage and, after playing strong on the defensive side of the ball the last couple of matches, she was able to help the offense in a big game.

While usually a star on the offensive side, Tylah Yeomans got down and dirty on the back line on Tuesday. The junior finished with a career-best 18 digs on the night while adding three block assists. The Hilltoppers had a good gameplan for Yeomans on the front line, which limited her attacking ability. However, as her teammates were getting swings, Yeomans was able to lay back and help the defense get the ball set for Karly Niesen. Chylyn Pate and Berit Jones were right along with her, picking up nine digs each in the match. Both have seen time as the team's libero in 2022 and both continue to play big roles on the defensive side of the ball for the Cardinals.

As we head into October, the Cardinals have now gotten a chance to see all five of their divisional opponents once this season. They now prepare for Crossover play as three of their next four matches come against opponents from the MEC South Division. With just under five weeks remaining in the regular season, every team is trying to rack up as many wins as they can heading into the conference tournament. With the top three teams form each division making the cut, there are plenty of opportunities to punch your ticket to the tournament. The Cardinals are fighting to try and host this year's event after last year's tournament was play in Institute, West Virginia. They have plenty of tough tests ahead of them and they look to stay the course.

The Matchup