Wheeling, W. Va. - With the first round of Mountain East Conference (MEC) North Division play in the books, the Wheeling University Volleyball team (12-7, 4-1) begins the run through the rest of the MEC South Division. They kick-off the stretch with a pair of weekend matchups in their first back-to-back competition days since early September. The weekend kicks off on Friday when the Cardinals battle West Virginia Wesleyan at 7 PM and wraps up on Saturday when they take on Davis & Elkins at 1 PM.
Last time out, the Cardinals took on West Liberty in the first edition of "The Battle for Wheeling" on the Volleyball court this season. The Hilltoppers came out strong in the first set, scoring eight of the first nine points, and they rode that momentum to a 25-21 set one win. The Cardinals battled back late in the set, to take a 21-20 lead and after a pep talk between sets they used that momentum to get out to a 13-1 advantage in set two. The Cardinals had their most efficient set of the night, hitting .394 as a team, with only three attack errors and picked up a 25-10 win. The defense was even stingier in set two, allowing just seven Hilltopper points and the Cardinals went up 2-1 with a 25-7 win. In the final set, the teams were pretty even throughout, with Wheeling holding a 21-17 lead late. The Cardinals would knock down the final four points of the set and completed the 3-1 win with a 25-17 set four victory.
As she has done over the last five seasons, it was setter Karly Niesen leading the Cardinals offense throughout the night. The graduate student setter picked up 42 assists on the night and helped her team to a .302 hitting percentage throughout the match. It marked the seventh time this season that the Cardinals have put together a hitting percentage of .300 or better, and marks the fourth straight match where they have hit that mark. Niesen is coming up on a milestone of her own, sitting just 407 assists away from the program record. She is averaging nearly 30 assists per set this season and, with 13 matches remaining, she will be approaching that mark during the final weeks of the regular season and into the postseason.
On the back line, the Cardinals have seen a new leader emerge in the form of Chylyn Pate. Since transitioning into one of the two starting libero roles, Pate has taken off and led the way with 17 digs last time out. She has picked up double digit digs in the last nine matches, picking up 20 or more digs in two of those matches. Pate is the senior leader on the back row and has only one reception error or less in four of the last five matches. On the offensive side, it was a big day from Katie Wilking that led the way, finishing with 10 kills on 22 total attacks for a .455 hitting percentage. Wilking has been an efficient swinger for the Cardinals throughout the season, holding a .367 hitting percentage through 19 matches played this season. Along with Comer, Wilking has been a force in the middle of the net for the Cardinals and has built off a strong freshman season.
With the win on Tuesday, the Cardinals were able to break a three-way tie for the top of the MEC North Division, moving to 4-1. The Cardinals are tied with Fairmont State for the top spot in the division, and hold a one-game advantage over West Liberty. The MEC North Division has been competitive all season long, with the four playoff teams being separated by just two games in the standings. Wheeling looks to continue their success into these next two weeks where they will face the remaining four teams from the south division. Wheeling will be playing-back-to-back matches in each of the next two weeks, marking the first time since mid-September as they continue down the playoff stretch.
The Matchups
West Virginia Wesleyan: The Cardinals and Bobcats are meeting for the 33rd time in program history, with Wheeling leading the all-time matchup with a record of 28-4. It is the 11th time they have met on the road, with the Cardinals holding a 10-0 advantage, compared to a 14-1 record on their home floor. Wheeling has won every meeting between the two teams since the 1998 season, but West Virginia Wesleyan is having one of their best seasons in recent history. The last time these two teams met was on October 13th, 2023, in a match where the Cardinals won 3-0. Former Cardinal Tylah Yeomans led the way with 18 kills while Melia Gorrell led the defense with 14 digs.
Davis & Elkins: The Cardinals and Senators are meeting for the 20th time in program history, with the Cardinals leading the all-time series at 19-0. It will be the ninth time that the two teams are meeting in Elkins, West Virginia, with Wheeling holding an 8-0 advantage. The Cardinals have won in straight sets in every meeting between the two teams and look to continue that roll into Saturday's match. Their last meeting came on October 14th, 2023, when the Cardinals picked up a 3-0 win. The offense was led by Aly Finch and Katie Wilking, who finished with five kills each, while Karly Niesen led the defense with 13 digs on the day.
The Details
Tip-off for Friday's match between the Wheeling and West Virginia Wesleyan is scheduled for 7 PM inside the Rockefeller Center. You can watch the match live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.
