Set one saw Allonda Watkins open things with a kill, but it would be the Golden Eagles who held The early advantage at 8-4. A golden eagle attack air gave wheeling the ball back and they went on a 4-0 run to tie the set at 8 - 8. The back and forth continued for a few points as the game sat at 10-10. Before a short 4-1 run gave Wheeling their first lead since the first point of the set at 14-11. The Cardinals would extend their lead to 17-13 before the Golden Eagles once again hit their stride going on a 6-0 run to take the lead at 19-17. The two teams battled in the later portion of the set with Charleston setting up set point at 24-21. Wheeling would not go down easily as a pair of kills from Cassidey Wiley and Allonda Watkins made it a 1 point set. However, Charleston will get the last point and take set one 25-23 to take a 1-0 lead in the match.
 

Set two feature the Cardinals scoring the first three points before Charleston once again took the lead at 5-3 in the early going. The Cardinals would fight back to tie the set at 6-6 before going off on a 6-2 run that saw them up 12-8 in the Midway point of the set. Tylah Yeomans fueled the run with three kills to lead the Cardinals as they took the lead for good in the set. After Charleston battled back to make it 14-11, the Cardinals were added again scoring eight of the next 10 points as they took control of the set at 22-13. Just as wheeling did in the first set, Charleston would not go away quietly making a 24-16 as Wheeling setup set point. A service error from the Golden Eagles would end that set as wheeling took a 25-16 win and even the match at 1-1.
 

In set three, the Golden Eagle started strong scoring four of the first five points before wheeling fought back. The Cardinals took a 7-4 lead in the set after a 6-1 run that began with a Watkins kill and saw Lexi Smith pick up two kills during the run. If the night's first two sets proved anything it was that a fast start was key and the Cardinals had that as they extended their lead to 11-6 at the Midway point. Charleston was able to stay alive as they fought back and tied the set at 15-15 thanks to a 4-0 run. The Cardinals would fight back again, this time on a 5-1-run and set it up at 20-16 late at the set. A Watkins kill brought up set point for the Cardinals at 24-19 but the Golden Eagles had one more point in them as they made it 24-20. They would take another swing on the next point but it would end up being an attack error that gave Wheeling a 25-20 set three win and gave them the first lead of the match at 2-1.
 

In set four, the Cardinals were hoping to not give Charleston any momentum and took control right away. Watkins got the team's first kill in the set and the Cardinals went on to score seven of the first eight points to take a 7-1 lead. Riley Kindall added a pair of kills and wheeling extended their lead to 10-4 in the early going. The Cardinals back line would play strong in the set, not allowing Charleston to get past the 10-point mark until wheeling was at 14 as the score sat at 15-11 Midway through the set. The The Golden Eagles would not make wrapping this one up easy for the Cardinals as they came back and made it 19-18 as the set was hitting the later half. Wheeling held set point at 24-22 before a Charleston attack air ended the match giving wheeling a 25-22 set for win and a 3-1 win for the match.
 

Head Coach Christy Benner applauded Charleston for their poise on the court and is looking forward to future matchups with the Golden Eagles in Regionals down the line.
 

"Charleston is so well coached and there are alwayss poised and under control on the court," said Benner. "I thought we executed our game plan very well tonight and now we look forward to seeing Charleston and other teams in regionals next week."
 

Senior Allonda Watkins picked the right game to put together the best game of her career as she left the offense. She finished with 23 kills on the night along with a .487 hitting percentage to lead the team on the night. Tylah Yeomans and Riley Kindall added big nights of their own, each coming up with 13 kills to round out a strong hitting day for the Cardinals. As a team, Wheeling hit .312 on the day as setter Karly Niesen finished with 61 assists as she led the team on the court. On the defensive end, Melia Gorrell handled the Cardinal's backline with 22 digs to lead the group in her best performance yet. Riley Kindall (13), Raegan Rosi (12), and Berit Jones (10) all finished with double digit kills to lead the defense.
 

The Wheeling University Volleyball the now awaits their fate as they find out who they will be playing and whether or not they will be hosting the 2022 NCAA Atlantic Regional Volleyball Championship next week.