Wheeling, W. Va. - Over the weekend, Wheeling University will be welcoming back friends, family, and alumni to celebrate the 2023 Wheeling University Homecoming & Family Weekend. The Wheeling University Volleyball team (9-6, 2-1) will have a full weekend as they play a pair of home matches across the two days of celebration. They kick things off on Friday when they play Mountain East Conference (MEC) opponent Notre Dame College and follow it up with a non-conference match on Saturday when they host Slippery Rock.
Last time out, the Cardinals hit the road as they traveled to Frostburg, Maryland to take on Frostburg State in one of just four road contests during the month. The Cardinals came out strong, taking set one 25-19 before the Bobcats battled back to take the second set 25-22 to tie the match at 1-1. The Cardinals were in the same situation as their non-conference match against IUP on Saturday. However, unlike that match on Saturday, the Cardinals took back the match and won in set three and four of 25-17 and 25-18 as they won 3-1. The win moved them back over .500 in conference play as they began the home stretch towards the MEC Tournament, with the Cardinals sitting as defending conference champions.
Over the last week and a half, a leader has emerged on the defensive side of the ball with junior Libero Berit Jones taking over the starting role. She has picked up 86 digs over her last three matches, averaging 6.61 digs per set. In each of those three matches, she has had 20 or more digs and has 30 or more digs in two of those three matches. She has propelled herself to second on the team in digs with 167, while leading the team with 4.18 digs per set. Last season, Jones finished with 282 digs and 2.31 digs/set and is already almost halfway to reaching that number again this season. The Cardinals have been looking for leaders on the defensive side and Jones looks to be that leader as they head down the stretch.
On the offensive side of the ball, the Cardinals had a new offensive leader last time out as Mady Winters led the offensive effort for the first time this season. She finished with 14 kills against Frostburg State and led the way with a .458 hitting percentage, knocking down 14 kills on 24 tries while picking up just three errors. The other double-digit scorer against Frostburg State was freshman Katie Wilking, wh0 picked up 13 kills and a .407 hitting percentage in the game. The Cardinals also saw a career milestone be reached as Karly Niesen became the third player in Wheeling Volleyball history to reach 4,000 assists for her career. She has been the model of consistency for the Cardinals and looks to continue to lead the offense through the rest of the season.
As they head into October, the Cardinals will have plenty of time in front of their home fans, with eight games inside the Alma Grace McDonough Center. As they head down the stretch, this will play into the Cardinals advantage, as they have won 13 of the last 14 matches played inside the Alma Grace McDonough Center. Wheeling currently sits second in the MEC North with a 2-1 record and are one game behind West Liberty for the top spot in the division. With two more matches ahead against the Hlltoppers, the Cardinals are looking to do their part and rack up wins throughout the month of October to keep pace with West Liberty.
The Matchups
Notre Dame College: The Cardinals and Falcons are meeting for the 22nd time in program history, with Wheeling leading the all-time series with a record of 21-0. It will be the 21st meeting in Wheeling between the two programs, with the Cardinals winning each of those 10 previous matchups. Throughout the all-time matchup, the Cardinals have lost just two sets during that span and look to continue that success in this meeting. Last time out, the Cardinals picked up a 3-0 win on October 28th, 2022, inside the Alma Grace McDonough Center. Tylah Yeomans led the way with 15 kills, followed by former Cardinal Allonda Watkins with 11, while Melia Gorrell had 15 Digs.
Slippery Rock: The Cardinals and Rock are meeting for the 18th time in program history and the second time this season. Wheeling leads the all-time series with a record of 17-1, including a 12-0 record in home matches. Slippery Rock took the first all-time meeting back in 1998, but the Cardinals have won every match since that first meeting. The two teams met earlier this season as part of the Atlantic Regional Crossover tournament, where Wheeling picked up a 3-0 win inside the Alma Grace McDonough Center. Riley Kindall led the offense with 14 kills in the match while Giana Mutersbaught added a team-high 19 digs in the win.
The Details
The Cardinals and Falcons will meet on Friday for the first match of the weekend inside the Alma Grace McDonough Center with tip-off at 7 PM. You can watch the game live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.
