West Palm Beach, FL. – The 2023 Bash at the Beach Tournament kicked off on Friday night with the Wheeling University Volleyball team (2-2, 0-0) taking on the host Palm Beach Atlantic University. It was a thrilling start to the tournament as the two teams battled to a win-by-two scenario in the fifth set that went 22 extra points. In the end, the Cardinals would pull out the victory with a 23-21 set five win as they took the match 3-2.

Palm Beach Atlantic had the momentum entering set five, staying alive with a 25-23 win to force the deciding set. Neither team was willing to give an inch in the early going of the set as they traded the first 12 points to bring the score to 6-6. Palm Beach Atlantic would hit the first run of the set, scoring six straight points to make it a 10-6 score at the midway point. A kill by freshman Katie Wilking got the Cardinals back on track as they began to battle their way back. They got to within one point of the Sailfish before they got back on the board to make it 12-10. Freshman Cami Black would pick up a kill to start a 3-0 run that gave the Cardinals their first lead of the set at 13-12. The two teams traded points and brought on the win-by-two scenario with the score sitting at 15-15.

The Sailfish would get the first point of the win-by-two scenario and senior Tylah Yeomans smacked down a kill to even the score at 16-16. The back and forth continued as they worked the score to 18-17 in favor of the home team before a service error put the ball back on Wheeling's side of the court. Freshman Giana Frayer then came through with a service ace and for the first time in the win-by-two scenario, Wheeling was the one set up with set point. However, Palm Beach Atlantic's Harper Stokes got the set back to even with a kill and the two teams continued on through the win-by-two scenario until things sat at 21-21. Yeomans added a kill to set up another match point for the Cardinals and this time they would come through. Riley Kindall laid down the final blow with a kill and Wheeling won the marathon set 23-21 and took a 3-2 win in the match.

Early on, it was Palm Beach Atlantic that set the tone, picking up a 25-23 set one win to kick things off. The Cardinals could not find their groove early on, hitting just .190 compared to a .300 clip for the Sailfish to start things off. However, as the night went on, the Cardinals kept getting better and never dipped below the .200 mark in any of the other four sets. After falling behind 3-1 early in the second set, the Cardinals quickly battled back to tie things at 6-6, putting themselves right back in the fight. They would pull ahead 11-9 as the set moved on, before hitting their biggest run of the night, extending that lead to 18-11. The Cardinals saw everyone get involved during the run, with Yeomans, Wilking, Black, and Mady Winters all picking up kills during the run. With the lead on their side, the Cardinals took care of business, picking up a 25-16 set two win, evening the match at one set apiece.

With momentum on their side, the Cardinals came out strong once again in the third set, building a 4-2 lead over the first six points. However, just as the Cardinals battled back in set two, it was the Sailfish's turn in set three, bringing the score to 6-6. Palm Beach Atlantic would take their first lead of the set at 7-6, before Black picked up a kill that sent Wheeling on a 7-1 Run. The set score sat at 13-8 in favor of the Cardinal's, but Palm Beach Atlantic was back at it, coming within one point of the Cardinals at 16-15. That was as close as they would get for the remainder of the set and, despite fighting back with four straight points at the end of the set, Winters would knock down the kill that gave Wheeling the 25-21 win and gave them a 2-1 advantage. The Sailfish came out in the fourth set and stayed alive with a 25-23 win that set up the marathon fifth set.

Wheeling was led on the day by a pair of their top hitters from last season in Tylah Yeomans and Mady Winters, with each picking up 18 kills on the evening. Winters earned the better hitting percentage, swinging at a .417 clip compared to a .395 clip from Yeomans, as both were efficient in the night. Riley Kindall finished right behind them with 16 kills, while freshmen Katie Wilking and Cami Black each added 10 kills in the effort. On defense, it was also Kindall leading the way, with the junior finishing with 26 Digs to lead the team. Berit Jones picked up 16 on the night while Karly Niesen and Melia Gorrell each added 15 on the night. Niesen rounded things out, setting a new career-high with 64 assists in the game and falling just ten assists shy of the single match record of 74, set back in 2006.

The Bash at the Beach Tournament continues for Wheeling on Saturday, when they play a pair of matches to wrap things up against Lynn University at 1 PM and Nova Southeastern at 4 PM. You can watch both games live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.