Wheeling, W. Va. - During the first week of the season, the Wheeling University Volleyball team (1-2, 0-0) made the trip down to the sunshine state for the University of West Florida tournament. As they head into their second week of competition, the Cardinals once again find themselves in the sunshine state as they travel to the Bash at the Beach Tournament, hosted by Palm Beach Atlantic University. They are set to play three games in two days, including a matchup with ranked Lynn University as they will once again be tested before returning to their home court next week.
In their first tournament of the year, the Cardinals finished 1-2 across their three games, with two of those coming against ranked opponents. They opened up the tournament with a bang against host University of West Florida, taking the #12 ranked team in the country all the way to five sets. In the end, the team fell just short, dropping it 3-2 and moved to Spring Hill College for their next match. There, they took on Mississippi College and once again found themselves in a five set affair. This time, it was the Cardinals that got the upper hand, pulling off the 3-2 victory and evening their record at 1-1 as the tournament moved back to The University of West Florida. They would then face the #11 team in the nation in Southwest Minnesota State and fell 3-0 to end their weekend at 1-2.
Leading the Cardinal's offense once again in 2023 is senior setter Karly Niesen, who was named to the University of West Florida all tournament team. The senior finished the weekend with 130 assists across 13 sets played for an average of 10 Assists/set. She also finished second on the team with 37 digs across the weekend and 2.85 digs per set to help pace the defense. With Niesen's help, the Cardinals finished the weekend with a .232 hitting percentage, and never fell below the .200 mark in any of the three games during the weekend. Around her, the Cardinal's hitters were swinging, led by senior Tylah Yeomans, who picked up right where she left off in 2022. The senior finished with 46 kills across the three games and swung at a .317 clip. Riley Kindall was right behind her with 35 kills, while leading the defensive effort with 41 digs.
Not only did the veterans have a strong start to the season, but the freshman mixed in nicely with several big opportunities on the weekend. Offensively, Katie Wilking led the way for the Cardinals, picking up 24 kills across the three matches, and averaging 1.85 kills per set. She was efficient in her swings, finishing with a .300 hitting percentage and immediately inserted herself into the Wheeling offensive gameplan. Abbey Queen got the call as the libero for the team over the weekend, and led the freshman class with 27 digs and an average of 2.70 digs per set. With the freshman already making their presence felt, the Cardinals are looking to build a strong foundation both now and in the future.
As the Cardinals head into their second tournament of the year, the team is looking to get back on track against a new set of opponents. They showed an ability to play with some of the top teams in the country, playing the #12 team to five sets, and it was an encouraging sign for Head Coach Christy Benner as they try to get back to the NCAA Atlantic Regional Tournament. They will face another ranked opponent this weekend in #25 Lynn University, as well as two strong teams in Palm Beach Atlantic and Nova Southeastern. The Cardinals are looking to win the weekend and even their record before returning home next weekend for their Atlantic Region Crossover tournament hosted by both Wheeling and West Liberty University.
The Matchups
Palm Beach Atlantic: The Cardinals and Sailfish will be meeting for the fourth time in program history in the tournament's opening match on Friday night. In three previous meetings, Palm Beach Atlantic holds the advantage with a record of 2-1. It is a fairly new rivalry for both teams, with Friday being just their second meeting since the 2015 season and in those three previous meetings, only one has lasted just three sets. Last season, these two teams met at this same tournament, with Palm Beach Atlantic getting the win at 3-1. Former Cardinal Kayla Bekier led the way with 18 kills on the day while former Cardinal Lexi Smith and Riley Kindall each added eight kills. Former Cardinal Audrey Francis led the defensive effort on that night with 29 digs.
Lynn: The Cardinals and Fighting Knights will be meeting for the third time in program history and the first time since the 2012 season. Wheeling holds the advantage in those two previous meetings, going 2-0, with both games coming in the sunshine state. The Cardinals have gotten the job done in four sets or less in each of the first two meetings, with the four-set match happening in their first meeting back in 2004. In their most recent meeting in 2012, the Cardinals came away with a 3-0 victory for their first three set win over the Fighting Knights. Former Cardinal Jenna Pew led the way with 14 kills on the day while former Cardinal Abby Wietrzykowski added nine kills. Former Cardinal Ripley Makenzie led the defense with 22 digs while former Cardinal Madison Strall added 22 assists.
Nova Southeastern: The Cardinals and Sharks will meet for just the second time in program history on Saturday and the first time since the 2012 season. Wheeling came away with the win in the first meeting between the two teams and leads the series 1-0. That first meeting came in Fort Lauderdale, Florida at what was the Nova Southeastern Tournament as the Cardinals picked up a 3-1 win. Former Cardinal Allissa Ware led the group with 17 kills while former Cardinal Angela McNulty added 10. Former Cardinal Ripley Makenzie picked up a team high 28 digs and former Cardinal Madison Strall led with 22 assists.
The Details
The Wheeling University Volleyball team will kick-off the Bash at the Beach tournament on Friday, September 8th, when they play the host Palm Beach Atlantic with tip-off at 7:30 PM. You can watch the game live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.
