Wheeling, W. Va. - After a long and grueling regular season run, the time is here as the top eight teams from around the Mountain East Conference (MEC) converge on Charleston, West Virginia for the 2022 MEC Volleyball Championship Tournament. The Wheeling University Volleyball team (23-7, 15-1) enter the tournament as the #1 seed from the MEC North Division and open their tournament run against the #4 seed from the MEC South in Glenville State. The Cardinals are looking to capture the 10th MEC title in program history and are hoping to start the tournament with a bang.
They ended their regular season with a rivalry match against #8 ranked in the Atlantic Region West Liberty and walked away with a 3-1 victory. It was a competitive match throughout the night, with no set being decided by more than eight points. The first set produced the highest margin of victory, with Wheeling taking a 25-17 win to go ahead 1-0 in the match. The Cardinals had their best team hitting percentage of the night in that set at .368 and would pick up another win in set two to make it a 2-0 advantage. Set three would go to the Hilltoppers 25-20 as they stayed alive before the Cardinals closed things out with a 25-20 set three win to give them the 3-1 match victory and end the regular season at 15-1 in conference play.
It was a big game once again for Tylah Yeomans, who tied her career high with 21 kills while producing a .277 hitting percentage. Yeomans has been on fire over these last two weeks of the regular season, producing 15 or more kills in three of her last four matches while hitting .350 or better in three of those matches as well. Yeomans currently sits third in the conference with 382 kills this season and is fourth in points with 423.5. Yeomans will continue to play a big role in the Cardinal's offensive attack as they begin this tournament run.
Following right behind her in the kills department was redshirt senior Allonda Watkins, who has been having a strong season in her own right. She totaled 13 kills and a 385 hitting percentage in the match, and crept closer to the 1,000-kill mark for her career. She needs 105 more kills to get to the mark and will need a long run both in the MEC Tournament and the NCAA Atlantic Regional Tournament to reach the mark. Karly Niesen continued her strong 2022 campaign, finishing with 45 assists and helping the team to a .235 hitting percentage on the night. The Cardinal's success this season has been driven by their offense, and the team looks to continue that success as they open tournament play.
The MEC Volleyball Tournament kicks off on Thursday with four quarterfinal matches happening at the University of Charleston, who will serve as the host for the entire tournament. The Cardinals' path to the final won't be easy as they kick-off against Glenville State in the quarterfinals Thursday at 2:30 PM. If they win, they will have to go on to face the winner of #2s West Virginia State and #3N West Liberty in the semifinals, which will be on Friday, November 11th, at 8:30 PM. The MEC Championship game will then be held on Saturday, November 12th, with tip-off scheduled for 6 PM. It will be a long road for the Cardinals as they try and chase down the 10th MEC Title in program history.
The Matchup
The Cardinals and Pioneers will be meeting up for the 23rd time in program history and the second time this season. Wheeling leads the all-time series with wins in the first 22 matches between the two teams, including one playoff match where the Cardinals won 3-0 in the first round of the 2002 West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC) playoffs. In their regular season meeting this season, the Cardinals picked up a 3-0 win on their home floor in what was a competitive match throughout the night.
Allonda Watkins led the way with 14 kills in that game while Lexi Smith finished with 11 kills to round out the offense. Karly Niesen added 32 assists in that game while Chylyn Pate finished with a career-high 22 digs. The Cardinals are looking for another fast start as they begin their run in the tournament.
The Details
Tip-off for Thursday's MEC Quarterfinal Matchup is scheduled for 2:30 PM inside the Wehle Innovation Center on the campus of the University of Charleston. You can watch the game live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.
