Wheeling, W. Va. - Through the first three weeks of the regular season, the Wheeling University Volleyball team (6-4, 0-0) has been facing some of the top teams in the country to prepare them for what they will face during their conference schedule. All that hard work will come to a head on Friday when the team hits the road for their Mountain East Conference (MEC) opener when they take on West Virginia State at 6 PM. The Cardinals and Yellow Jackets have been battling for supremacy in the MEC over the last few years and the Cardinals are looking to get off to a hot start as they begin the path back to the MEC Tournament.
The Cardinals wrapped up their preseason non-conference stretch this past weekend when they hosted the 2023 Atlantic Regional Crossover in conjunction with West Liberty University. The Cardinals played four regional games across the two-day stretch and was the only team that came out of the stretch sitting at 4-0. They opened the weekend with a pair of matches against Pitt-Johnstown and Shippensburg, earning a sweep over the Mountain Cats before dropping the first set to the Raiders. However, Wheeling was able to rally back and took the match 3-1 to even their record at 4-4 for the season. On Saturday, they would take on the two teams who were on the hilltop on Friday in Slippery Rock and Clarion. The Cardinals once again picked up a pair of wins in the contest, defeating both teams by sweeping the match and moving to 6-4 on the year. It was a big weekend for the Cardinals both for the team and for the regional rankings as they move towards another trip to the Regional Championships.
The Cardinals had a pair of athletes honored by the MEC for their work over the weekend, and leading the offensive effort was outside hitter Riley Kindall. Across the four-game stretch, Kindall finished with 60 kills to lead the team, while hitting at a .300 clip or better in three of the team's four matches. In her junior year, Kindall has stepped up as a six-rotation player and has been a help on both sides of the ball. While leading the team in kills over the weekend, Kindall also sat second on the team in Digs, picking up 42 between the three matches. As the team enters the conference schedule, Kindall currently sits second on the team with 134 kills, behind teammate Tylah Yeomans, and leads the way with 137 digs. She looks to continue her success into conference play, adding another dimension both to the Cardinal's offensive and defensive efforts.
Leading the way for the defensive side of the ball was freshman Giana Mutersbaugh, who was named the MEC's Defensive Player of the Week for the first time in her career. It was Mutersbaugh's first full weekend as the team's libero, and she took the role in stride leading her team to four big wins. She totaled 64 digs across the 13 sets played for the team, averaging 4.92 digs/set, while adding 18 assists. Her biggest effort came against Shippensburg, when the freshman set her career-best effort with 23 digs in a 3-1 win for her team. Another big contributor on defense for the Cardinals was senior Karly Niesen, who finished second on the team with 43 digs on the weekend while also contributing 172 assists across the four matches.
As the Cardinals jump into their MEC schedule, they start out with their first three conference matches all coming on the road. Their only home match over the next two weeks comes next Friday when they take on Salem University, so Head Coach Christy Benner and her team will look to keep their success going away from Bishop Schmitt Field. The Cardinals have had to go on the road for the MEC Tournament in each of the last two seasons and they are looking to bring the conference championship back to Wheeling for the first time since the 2019 season. In order to do that, they will look to get off to a fast start against West Virginia State, who won hosting rights for the tournament over the Cardinals in 2021.
The Matchup
The Cardinals and Yellow Jackets will be meeting for the 35th time in program history, with Wheeling leading the all-time series with a record of 30-4. However, West Virginia State has had more success against the Cardinals on their home court, with two of those four wins coming in Institute, West Virginia. It has been a very competitive series between the two teams dating back to the 2020 COVID season, with the teams going at least four sets in each of the last four meetings between the two teams.
Their last meeting came on October 14th, 2022, in a match that Wheeling would win 3-1 inside the Alma Grace McDonough Center. Leading the way for the Cardinals in that match was Tylah Yeomans, who finished with 20 kills, while Karly Niesen added 55 assists, finishing just seven away from what was then her career high. The defensive effort was led by former Cardinal Raegan Rosi and Melia Gorrell, who each finished with 13 digs on the evening.
The Details
Tip-off for Friday night's match is scheduled for 6 PM inside the Walker Convocation Center on the campus of West Virginia State University. You can watch the game live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.
