Just as they have in every season since joining the Mountain East Conference (MEC), The Cardinals took home the 2022 MEC Championship. Just like this year, the Cardinals played a tough non-conference schedule throughout late August and early September and they came out of that stretch sitting at 6-6. They then leaped into their MEC schedule, going 15-1 and earning the #1 seed in the MEC North Division heading into the MEC tournament. They had to go on the road for the second year in a row, making the trip down to the University of Charleston, and earned wins against Glenville State and West Liberty to make it to the MEC Championship game. They would take on the host University of Charleston, and earned their 10th consecutive championship. They also qualified for the NCAA DII Atlantic Regional tournament, but fell in the semifinal round to Clarion.

Most of the core of last year's team returns in 2023 as they look to get back to the regional tournament and rebound from the semifinal loss. Leading the way will be the defending MEC player of the year in senior Setter Karly Niesen. She led MEC in assists/set (11.76) and total assists (1413) a season ago and took home her third consecutive First Team All-MEC award. She is approaching another milestone this season as she approaches 4,000 assists for her career, needing just 578 more assists to reach the mark. She will be surrounded by some veteran hitters in juniors Riley Kindall and Mady Winters and senior Tylah Yeomans. Yeomans returns as the Cardinals leading attacker from a season ago, when she set a career-best with 447 kills and an average of 3.85 kills/set. She was the conference leader in kills and will be looked at as a strong attacker again for the Cardinals. award. She is approaching another milestone this season
 

On the defensive side, the Cardinals rotate a number of players on the backline a season ago, and will be likely doing the same in 2023. Sophomore Melia Gorrell was handling libero duties at the end of the 2022 season, capping off what was a strong freshman campaign. She finished with 214 digs and a .954 receiving percentage. She played a big role in the team's 2022 MEC Championship, picking up 22 digs in the championship game against Charleston. Kindall will also play a role in the team's backline game, leading the team with 304 digs a season ago, while averaging 2.60 digs/set. Berit Jones and Chylyn Pate will each also factor into the defensive alignment, with both finishing with over 200 digs a season ago.
 

The Cardinals once again face a daunting non-conference schedule in 2023 that includes several ranked opponents. They kick things off with a bang in this first week, with Southwest Minnesota State taking #11 and West Florida taking #12 on the annual American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) preseason poll. The following week, they add another ranked opponent in #25 Lynn University as they will be tested on the court. With several strong teams in the MEC, the tough non-conference battle prepares them for what they are going to see both in the conference and regionally throughout the season.
 

The Matchups
 

University of West Florida: The Cardinals and Argonauts will be meeting for the 10th time in program history to kick things off on Thursday, with West Florida leading the all-time series at 6-3. West Florida has won the last three meetings between the two teams, as Wheeling will look to beat West Florida for the first time since the 2019 season. Last year, Wheeling fell 3-1 to West Florida by scores of 25-13, 27-25, 25-16, and 25-20. Tylah Yeomans led the way on offense with 12 kills while former Cardinal Raegan Rosi led the group with 13 digs.
 

Mississippi College: The Cardinals and Choctaws are meeting for the first time in program history when they square off in Friday afternoon's matchup. Mississippi College is coming off a strong 2022 campaign that saw them go 23-7 overall and 12-4 in Gulf South Conference play. They went 2-1 against common opponents with Wheeling last season, defeating both West Florida and Nova Southeastern, while also falling to West Florida during last season.
 

Southwest Minnesota State: The Cardinals and Broncos are meeting for the fourth time in program history in the tournament closer on Saturday, with Southwest Minnesota State leading the all-time series at 2-1. It has been a while since the two teams have faced off, with their last meeting coming on August 25th, 2018. The Cardinals have scored at least one set win in two of the three matches, with their lone win coming in a 3-2 effort during the 2014 season. In their latest matchup, the Broncos got the better of the Cardinals with a 3-0 win at this same tournament. Former Cardinal Makenna Babb led the offensive attack with six kills while former Cardinal Audrey Francis led the defense with 25 digs.
 

The Details
 

The Cardinals open the West Florida tournament against the host Argonauts on Thursday with tip-off scheduled for 7 PM. You can watch the match live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.
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