Institute, W. Va. - The 2023 Mountain East Conference (MEC) Tournament kicked off in Institute, West Virginia on Thursday afternoon with the top eight teams beginning the run to the MEC Championship. The Cardinals got things started with a bang as they defeated the #4 seed from the MEC South, Frostburg State, 3-0 to advance to Friday night's semifinal round. It was a big day for senior Tylah Yeomans, as she set a new season-high with 25 kills, falling just seven kills shy of the Wheeling single-match kills record.
Yeomans knocked down 16 of those 25 kills through the first two sets of play and hit an impressive .500 throughout the afternoon. She got started right away, knocking down the first kill of set one that sent the Cardinals on a 7-0 run to start the evening. Yeomans knocked down three of those seven kills during the run, with Mady Winters adding the other three kills. That early start propelled the Cardinals throughout the set as they led 10-1 through the first nine points of the day. After the Bobcats scored back-to-back points for the first time in the set, Winters would break the run and a pair of Yeomans service aces made it a 13-3 set. While the offense was swinging, the defense held Frostburg State at bay, keeping them in single-digits throughout the day. A Bobcat Attack Error brought up set point at 24-8, and two points later, Yeomans knocked down her 10th kill of the day to give Wheeling the 25-9 set win.
Yeomans and the Cardinals hit .571 in that first set, setting a new single-set hitting percentage high with the effort. However, in the second set, Frostburg State was ready to fight as they knocked down the first point of the set and kept it close early. The two teams battled to a 3-2 score through the first five points before a Mady Winters kill sent the Cardinals on a 4-1 run that opened things up at 7-3. As the set went on, the Cardinals got more and more attackers involved in the offense, with Riley Kindall and Josie Schroder each getting going during the set. At the set's midway point, it was a one-point Wheeling advantage at 14-13 before the Cardinals hit their run. Yeomans knocked down her 16th kill of the night as the Cardinals scored six straight points to bring up set point at 24-14. The Bobcats got on the board one more time before the set was out, but Cami Black knocked down the final kill, her first of the night, and the Cardinals went ahead 2-0.
With a sweep on the line, Yeomans got the Cardinals started in set three with the first two kills as Wheeling took a 2-0 advantage. However, Frostburg State battled back to make it 4-3 as the two teams went back and forth through the set's first 20 points. The Cardinals held an 11-9 advantage, and a service error knocked the ball back in their court. The Cardinals scored six of the next eight points, with Schroder and Yeomans each knocking down two kills on the run, as the Cardinals opened things up to 16-11. Wheeling pushed that lead to 21-15, before the Bobcats put together a 3-0 run that made it a 21-18 set late. The Cardinals were able to hold off the late push as a Winters kill set up match point at 24-19, and two points later a service error gave Wheeling the 25-20 set win as they swept the day 3-0.
Yeomans's big day saw her lead the way with 25 kills on 42 total attacks and just four attack errors on the day. She hit .500 on the afternoon and fell just seven kills shy of the single game record of 32, set back on October 19th, 1997, by former Cardinal Annie Rome. Finishing behind her was Riley Kindall, who finished with nine kills, and Mady Winters, who finished with five kills. Winters continued her streak of matches hitting .300 or better, bringing the run to 17 straight games after the quarterfinal round. The defensive effort was led by sophomore Melia Gorrell, who finished with a season-high 20 digs on the night. Two other Cardinals finished with double digit digs as Riley Kindall (14) and Karly Niesen (12) each hit the mark.
The Wheeling University Volleyball team continues their run in the 2023 MEC Tournament Semifinal round as they take on #3N Fairmont State with tip-off at 7:30 PM.
