Wheeling, W. Va. - On Tuesday night, the Wheeling University Volleyball team (18-6, 9-1) clinched a spot in the Mountain East Conference (MEC) Tournament with their victory over Fairmont State. However, the Cardinals have had their eyes on a bigger goal and they will continue that on Friday when they host The University of Charleston at 7 PM. They look to keep pace with West Virginia State as they fight for the right to host the MEC Tournament for the first time since the 2019 season.

The Cardinals clinched their spot in that tournament last time out as they took down MEC North rival Fairmont State 3-0. The Cardinal's offense took the lead early as the Cardinals picked up wins of 25-9 and 25-10 to take a 2-0 lead. Wheeling had a .250 hitting percentage in that first set and followed it up with a .467 hitting percentage in set two. The defense was just as strong in those first two sets, holding the Falcons to hitting percentages of -.109 and .000 through the first two sets. However, Fairmont State came out in set three and built a 10-4 lead. After a Wheeling timeout, the Cardinals would battle back and forced a win-by-two scenario. Tylah Yeomans would end the match with a pair of kills that gave the Cardinals a 26-24 win to complete the sweep.

While the offense was swinging through the first two sets, it was the defense that was leading the charge. They finished with 71 digs on the night and held their opposition to a .039 hitting percentage on the night. The Cardinals had three double-digit diggers on the day with Riley Kindall leading the way with 16 digs, while Karly Niesen (15) and Abbey Queen (12) each added double digit dig efforts on the evening. It was the eighth time this season that the Cardinals have had 70 or more digs during the season and they have held their opponents to a .160 hitting percentage. As the Cardinals continue through their final five matches of the regular season.

On the offensive end, it was Tylah Yeomans who led the way with 16 kills on the night while hitting .387 on the night. It was the fourth straight match in which Yeomans finished with double-digit kills and was the most kills for the junior since their match on October 13th against West Virginia Wesleyan. She has hit .300 or better in each of her last five matches and is chasing down the 1,000-kill mark for her career, needing 176 over her final five regular season matches plus the playoff run. The other double-digit kill effort came from freshman Katie Wilking, who added 10 kills on the evening. It was her fifth double-digit kill effort of the season and she finished with her second highest hitting percentage at .474.

As they come down the final stretch, Wheeling and West Virginia State are battling it out to be able to host the 2023 MEC Tournament. Both hold equal 9-1 records through the first 10 MEC matches, but with West Virginia State defeating Wheeling earlier in the season, the Yellow Jackets hold the tie breaker over the Cardinals. In order to host the tournament, the Cardinals would have to win their final four conference matches while West Virginia State would have to lose at least one of their remaining four conference matches. If both teams win out, the tournament will head back to Institute, West Virginia for the first time since the 2021 season.

The Matchup

The Cardinals and Golden Eagles will be meeting for the 44th time in program history, with Wheeling leading the all-time series with a record of 29-14. In the history, only two of those 14 losses have come on their home floor, where they hold a 10-2 record against Charleston. Friday's match will serve as a rematch of the 2022 MEC Championship match, with the Cardinals looking to repeat their effort from that match. Wheeling has won 18 of the previous 19 matches between the two teams, including that championship event.

That 2022 MEC Championship match was the last meeting between the two teams, with Wheeling walking away with a 3-1 victory. After dropping the first set, the Cardinals would come back to win the next three sets as they walked away with the 3-1 victory to claim their 10th MEC Championships. Leading the way for the Cardinals was former Cardinal Allonda Watkins, who finished with 23 kills, while Tylah Yeomans and Riley Kindall each finished with 13 kills. The defense was led by Melia Gorrell, who led the way with 22 digs in the match.

The Details

Tip-off for Friday night's match is scheduled for 7 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.