Mobile, AL. – Day two of the West Florida Invitational sent the team's to nearby Spring Hill College in Mobile, Alabama with a full slate of contests. The Wheeling University Volleyball team (1-1, 0-0) took on Mississippi College in the first ever meeting between the two schools as Wheeling looked to bounce back from a five set loss on day one. It was another five set match for the Cardinals, but this time they would come out victorious, taking down the Choctaw's 3-2 to earn their first win of the 2023 season.

Just as they did in the tournament opener, the Cardinals got out to a hot start in set one. After the two teams battled to a 7-6 score, Wheeling would hit their first big run of the night, scoring five of the next six points to push their lead to 12-7. Mady Winters led the way with two kills during the run, and Riley Kindall and Katie Wilking each added a kill of their own. With a little room to work with, the Cardinals offense started swinging and they continued to add on. Tylah Yeomans added three kills late in the set, and Wheeling was ahead 20&12. The Choctaw's would battle back and got as close as 24-16, but Winters closed things out with a kill that gave Wheeling the set win and a 1-0 lead in the match. It was the second straight game where the Cardinals won set one, and they looked to use that momentum to their advantage.

However, Mississippi College would not only stay alive, but took the lead winning both the second and third set to back the Cardinals against the wall. They entered the fourth set needing a win to keep the match going and avoid falling to 0-2 on the season. The Cardinals would jump out to a 4-2 lead, but the Choctaw's once again battled and took the lead at 6-4. A pair of Cardinal freshman would even the score as Katie Wilking and Cami Black each picking up kills to make it a 7-7 game. Those two kills would kick start the Cardinals, sending them on a 7-1 run that increased their lead to 14-8 halfway through the set. The score would sit at 20-16 late in the set before the Cardinals once again hit their stride with five straight points to set up a set point. Mississippi College added two more points before Yeomans slammed down a kill to give Wheeling the 25-18 win that evened the match at 2-2.

It would set up a five set match for the second match in a row as the Cardinals looked to come out on top. They wasted no time insuring that would happen, with six straight points to start the first to 15 set. Yeomans led the charge with two kills while Riley Kindall added a kill to make it 6-0 in favor of the Cardinals. Wheeling controlled the entirety of the fifth set, allowing just five Choctaw points in the set as they led 10-5. Winters would knock down a kill and the Cardinals never looked back, scoring the set's final five points to win the set 15-5. The win gave the Cardinals a 3-2 match win as they bounced back from their 3-2 loss to host West Florida on Thursday to even their record at 1-1 for the weekend.

It was another big day on offense for Tylah Yeomans, who finished with a season-best 23 kills and a .333 hitting percentage in the win. She now has 37 kills combined between the first two matches as she chases down another All-MEC honor. She was one of three Cardinals to finish with double digit kills, with Mady Winters (15) and Riley Kindall (14) joining Yeomans. Kindall also led the defensive effort on the day, finishing with 24 digs. Freshman Abbey Queen, who served as the team's Libero, continued her success with 12 digs, while Berit Jones (11) and Cami Black (10) each finished in double digit digs. Karly Niesen turned in her second straight 50+ assist day, leading the offense with 54 assists. The Cardinals now move into Saturday looking to win the weekend series.

The Wheeling University Volleyball team wraps up the West Florida Invitational on Saturday, September 2nd, when they take on Southwest Minnesota State at 12:30 PM. You can watch the game live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.