Wheeling, W. Va. – Over the weekend, the Wheeling University Volleyball team (14-6, 6-1) got momentum on their side with a weekend sweep in Mountain East Conference (MEC) play. However, their ultimate goal is making it back to the NCAA DII Atlantic Regional Tournament come December. On Tuesday night, the Cardinals will get another chance to rise in the conference rankings when they take on Shepherd with tip-off at 6 PM inside the Alma Grace McDonough Center.
On Saturday, Wheeling wrapped up their weekend MEC set with a 3-0 win over Davis & Elkins. It was a true team effort on the court, as 13 different Cardinals ended the match with at least one kill on the day. They nearly hit the .300 hitting percentage mark for the fourth time this season, finishing with a .296 mark throughout the three sets as everyone was swinging efficiently. Early on, the Senators showed that they were there to fight, tying the first set at 6-6 through the first 12 points. However, the Cardinals pulled away and never looked back with set wins of 25-14, 25-11, and 25-15 on their way to their sixth conference win of the season. It was a chance for head coach Christy Benner to use her depth while also keeping the starter's hit during this final month stretch of the regular season.
While the offense was swinging, the defense has their own share of success on the back line. The Cardinals had three different players end in double digits, with Karly Niesen, Melia Gorrell, and Cami Black all hitting the mark. The Libero spot has been a revolving door this season, with several different Cardinals stepping up. Lately, it has been Gorrell who has taken the reigns as she finished second on Saturday with 12 digs. It was her sixth straight match with double digit digs and, over her last 19 sets played she has averaged 4.0 digs/set. She ended up taking over the Libero position full time for the 2022 MEC Tournament and regional playoff run, and looks to once again lead the defensive unit in this season's postseason run.
On the offensive side, it was a balance attack throughout for the Cardinals with 13 different players picking up at least one kill. Leading the way was Junior Aly Finch and freshman Katie Wilking bleach finished with five kills on the day. One of the unsung heroes of the Cardinals offense so far this season has been the contributions of Wilking who has 133 kills while averaging 2.02 kills/set during her freshman season. She entered Tuesday's contest with the third highest hitting percentage among eligible players at .285 and has had a .300 Heading percentage or better in four of her last six matches. Her consistency is added another level to the Cardinals offense as they continue to roll through the 2023 regular season.
Although they won't be in conference action on Tuesday night, the Cardinals will still look to climb the regional standings. With the first Regional rankings set to be released in a few weeks ahead of postseason play, the Cardinals are looking to pick up a big regional win to move them up the ladder. They are currently 9-2 in Regional play this season, with their only regional losses coming at the hands of Clarion and West Virginia State. Last season, the Cardinals earned the #3 seed Atlantic Regional Tournament and are looking it back to the top spot in 2023. With each of their remaining nine matches being regional matches, the Cardinals are going to look the string some wins together As they work to not only get back into the tournament but bring it back to Wheeling for the first time since 2021.
The Matchup
The Cardinals and Rams are meeting for the 41st time in program history, with Wheeling leading the all-time matchup with a record of 33-7. However, it will be the first meeting between the two teams since the 2018 season And their first meeting in Wheeling since September 14th of 2018. It'll be the 19th all-time matchup hosted by the Cardinals, with Wheeling winning 18 of those 19 meetings. The former West Virginia Intercollegate Athletic Conference (WVIAC) Teams have been meeting since the 1992 season and look to renew their rivalry on Tuesday.
Their last meeting came on October 18th, 2018, when the Cardinals went down to Shepherd, West Virginia and beat the Rams 3-1. It was a big day for the Cardinals offense as former Cardinals Cassie Meyer (20) and Haley Kramer (18) let the offense as each had big days. The defense was led by former Cardinal Audrey Francis, who finished with 30 digs on the afternoon. Former Cardinal Stephanie Sylvester rounded out the day with 54 assists as she captained the offense.
The Details
Tip-off for Tuesday night's game is scheduled for 6 PM inside the Alma Grace McDonough Center. You can watch the game live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.
