The Cardinals set the tone of the match right from the get-go, scoring the first point on a kill by freshman Josie Schroeder. The first set saw the lead change hands three times over the first 24 points and sat at 12-12 Midway through the set. Wheeling had already battled back to tie things at 12-12 before Mady Winters sent her team on a 7-1 Run that gave them their biggest lead to that point at 17-13. The Argonauts would show why they were ranked number 12 in the preseason poll battling back once again and tying things at 18. The Cardinals would not lose the lead for the rest of the set and held a 22-20 advantage late. Tylah Yeomans and Winters slammed down the final two kills of The set and the Cardinals picked up a 25-21 setwin to take a 1-0 lead in the match.
 

In set two, the Cardinals nearly went up 2-0 playing to a win by two scenario. However, West Florida would score the final two points to pick up a 27-25 set win and even the match at 1-1. After taking the second set loss, Wheeling came back strong in set three getting out to a 6-2 lead over the first seven points of the set. The Cardinals took advantage of three straight Argonaut attack errors to get the lead and they would never give it back the rest of the set. The Cardinals would feature one of their new freshmen in the set, with Katie Wilking slamming down four kills during the run. West Florida made it close, bringing the set to a 23-21 score, but the Cardinals would finish it out with back-to-back kills from Tylah Yeomans And the Cardinals picked up a 25-21 win to go ahead 2-1 in the match.
 

They headed into the fourth set with an opportunity to pick up their first win against West Florida since the 2018 season And they once again got out to a lead. Wilking and Avery Henschen each picked up a kill during the early run as the Cardinals looked to close things out in four sets. However, the Argonauts would not go down without a fight, and the two teams stayed within two points of each other until late in the set when the score sat at 20-20. West Florida would score five of the final eight points in the set and evened up the match with a 25-23 set win. It would take things to a fifth and Final set as the teams would battle to be the first to get to 15 and start 2023 1-0. The final set would be as advertised, with the team's trading the first 14 points of the set. Unfortunately, things wouldn't go in the Cardinals favor as West Florida went on a 5-1-run to end the set and picked up a 15-10 set five win and a 3-2 win in the match.
 

Despite the loss, the Cardinals showed that they can play with some of the best teams in the country. The offense was led by senior Tylah Yeomans, who picked up right where she left off with 14 kills to leave the charge. Riley Kindall and Katie Wilking matched her effort with 14 kills of their own while Mady Winters rounded out the double digit attackers with 11 kills. A trio of Cardinals had strong defensive nights, with Abbey Queen, Karly Niesen, and Kindall All finishing with 14 digs. Niesen rounded out her night with 55 assists as her race to 4,000 kicks off. With a strong start to the West Florida tournament under their belts, the Cardinals will look to keep the momentum on their side as they play the final two games of the weekend.
 

The Wheeling University volleyball team returns to action on Friday, September 1st, when they take on Mississippi College with tip off at 4 PM. You can watch the game live by clicking here or follow along with live stats by clicking here.