Wheeling, W. Va. - The Wheeling University Volleyball team (1-3, 0-0) opened their 2022 season in the sunshine state last week at the University of West Florida invitational. On Friday, they head back to the sunshine state to play in their second tournament of the year when they play three games in two days at the University of Tampa Invitational. Once again the Cardinals will have a tall task ahead of them as they face two ranked teams in their three games, giving them four ranked opponents in their first four games as they face some of the top teams in Division II Volleyball.
In their first tournament of the season, the Cardinals played four games at the University of West Florida and went 1-3 in those four games. They started the tournament against the host school, #5 West Florida, and battled to four sets in what was a 3-1 loss. Day two saw them battle #8 Central Missouri, garnering the same 3-1 result, and Spring Hill College, who they battled to five sets in a classic showdown. The final day saw them take on Lees-McRae and they were able to pick up their first sweep of the season with a 3-0 win. While the end result wasn't exactly what they hoped for, they were able to get valuable experience against ranked teams as they try to push into the top 25 themselves later this season.
Leading the way on offense was a great effort from junior outside hitter Tylah Yeomans, who finished the weekend with 63 kills, 41 digs, and a .321 hitting percentage. Yeomans set a new career-high with 21 kills against #8 Central Missouri and registered at least 12 kills in all four games played. Her 63 kills have her just seven kills away from her total from all of last season and she looks to continue that success this weekend. On the defensive side of things, Yeomans also played a big role with 41 digs on the weekend while finishing third on the team with 17.0 blocks.
Other defensive leaders for the Cardinals included strong efforts from two of the team's Liberos over the weekend. Reagan Rosi and Berit Jones each saw time as the team's defensive leader, and each had their shining moments. Jones led the way with 54 Digs over the four games to go along with 4.50 digs/set and a 1.000 receiving percentage. Rosi added 39 Digs on the weekend and was second on the team with 3.90 Digs/Set while finishing with a .984 receiving percentage. Allonda Watkins led the way with 28.0 Blocks and Mady Winters finished right behind her with 20.0 blocks across the four games.
For the Cardinals, these early tournaments are a chance to see what they can do against some of the top teams in Division II Volleyball. The Cardinals cracked the top 25 to start the season last year, when they were ranked #23, and are looking to get back into the top 25 this season. With two more tournaments ahead, and one non-conference match, before the start of Mountain East Conference (MEC) play the Cardinals will be looking to use these games to prepare them for their upcoming conference schedule.
The Matchups
#24 Colorado Mesa: Friday's tournament opener will mark the first ever meeting between the Cardinals and Mavericks. The #24 team in the nation has gotten off to a hot start this season, going 3-1 over their first four games with three of those efforts being sweeps. They come to Tampa from Grand Junction, Colorado and are members of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC).
Tusculum: The Cardinals and Pioneers will be meeting for the second time in program history on Saturday, with Wheeling leading the all-time series at 1-0. This will be the two teams' first meeting since the 2013 season when the Cardinals picked up a 3-1 win. In that game, former Cardinals Jenna Pew and Emma Schleucher led the way with 14 kills each in the game.
#1 Tampa: The Cardinals and Spartans will be meeting for the sixth time in program history on Saturday, with Tampa leading the all-time series at 5-0. It will mark the first meeting between the two teams since the 2015 season when Tampa took a 3-0 win over the Cardinals. In that game, former Cardinal Haley Kindall led the way with 11 kills while teammate Jessica Thobe registered 19 digs in the loss.
The Details
Tip-off for Friday's tournament opener against Colorado Mesa is scheduled for 3:30 PM at the University of Tampa in Tampa, Florida. You can watch all games throughout the tournament live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.
