Wheeling, W. Va. – For the past nine matches, the Wheeling University Volleyball team (10-7, 3-1) has had the luxury of playing on their home floor. On Friday night, they will hit the road for the first time since September 14th, when they travel to Salem for non-conference action. It breaks up a stretch of four of five matches against the Mountain East Conference (MEC) North Division as the Cardinals look to maintain their success.
Last time out, the Cardinals hosted Frostburg State in MEC North action as they wrapped up the nine-match homestand. It was another complete team effort, with 16 different Cardinals contributed on the evening as the Cardinals went into their depth for the second match in a row. They came out strong, taking a 16-4 lead through the first 20 points of the match and quickly taking care of set one 25-10. In set two, the Cardinals once again started strong and ended up going into their depth during the set. They would come away with another handed win in set two, taking a 25-18 win. The third and final set was the most competitive of the night, heading to a win-by-two scenario. The Cardinals would close out the night with the final two points and picked up a 26-24 win to move to 3-1 in conference play.
Wheeling has gotten a chance to dive into their depth over the last two matches, and Aly Finch took advantage of her opportunity. She would set a season-high with four kills on 13 total attacks while hitting .308 in the match. She knocked down all four kills in the second set, knocking down the final four Cardinal points to secure the 2-0 lead. Lindsey James also had a big match, finishing with the first service ace of her collegiate career, while her sister Shelby James added a block assist on the day. Wrapping up the career days was Bella DeBarr, who set a new career-best with five kills on the night. She would hit .364 on the day as she moved up to the front line after serving primarily as a server this season.
Even though they dipped into their depth, it was still another big match for senior Riley Kindall. After falling short of a double-double last time out, Kindall was back on Tuesday, knocking down 18 kills and 14 digs, both serving as team highs for the Cardinals. It was her 10th total double double of the season as she is averaging nearly a double-double per match with 3.25 kills/set and 3.55 digs/set. Samantha Comer continued her transition into the middle Blocker role, and has another double digit attack day. She finished with 10 kills on the day and a .571 hitting percentage on the day. The two continue to be leaders up from for the Cardinals and look to continue to pace the offensive effort down the stretch.
After having the luxury of a heavy home schedule through September and early October, the Cardinals will be on the opposite side as they head to mid-October. Three of their next four matches will come away from the Alma Grace McDonough, with two of those three matches being in MEC play. Friday will serve as only the second official road match for the Cardinals this season, with the other seven matches in the beginning of the season being neutral site affairs. The Cardinals have benefitted from a challenging preseason schedule and are using what they learned to help them in their conference schedule. The team currently sits atop the MEC North Division, holding a half game lead over Fairmont State, as they look to hold the title down the stretch.

The Matchup

The Cardinals and Tigers are meeting for the 19th time in program history, with Wheeling winning each of the first 18 meetings. It will be the seventh time the teams have met in Salem, with Wheeling going 6-0 in those previous meetings. However, it is just the second season series between the two teams since the 2008 season, with the two teams playing last season as part of the MEC's non-conference agreement with Salem.

Their last meeting came on November 3rd, 2023, in a match that Wheeling would win on the road against Salem 3-0. The Cardinals were led by Cassidy Wiley, who set a career-high with 14 kills, while Lindsey James added 10 kills on the day. Riley Kindall would lead the defensive effort with 10 digs while Giana Mutersbaugh added 10 digs of her own to round out the day.

The Details