Wheeling, W. Va. - As the final weekend in October arrives, the Wheeling University Volleyball team (14-8, 6-1) celebrates Halloween with a flurry of home matches inside the Alma Grace McDonough Center. The fun kicks off on Friday when the Cardinals return to Mountain East Conference (MEC) South play against Concord at 7 PM and continues into Saturday when they host a tri-match against Glenville State and Ohio Dominican beginning at 1 PM. There will be lots of Halloween fun throughout the weekend, including the first-ever Wheeling Athletics Trunk or Treat event prior to Saturday's matches, as the Cardinals celebrate the Halloween season.
Last time out, the Cardinals played in non-conference regional play when they battled Ashland at home. It was a back and forth match throughout the night, with Ashland punching first with a set one win, and Wheeling responding to tie the match in set two. The Cardinal's most efficient set would come in set three, where they hit .317 as a team to pick up a 25-20 win and take a 2-1 lead in the match. Ashland would get one back with a win in set four at 25-18, forcing a decisive fifth set. This fifth set would head into a lengthy win-by-two scenario as the teams got into the 20 point mark. Unfortunately for the Cardinals, it was Ashland who would end up getting the win 20-18 and the Cardinals dropped just their second home match of the year 3-2.
Despite the loss, several of the Cardinal young players had career-best days, led by the efforts of freshman Bella DeBarr. DeBarr picked up the first double-double of her career, and led the offense with 15 kills on the day. She swung more than she has ever swung this season, taking 57 total attacks and helped the Cardinals in every aspect of the match. She was one of three Cardinals to go over the 20-dig mark in the match, setting a career-high with 23 digs, and added three service aces on the day. DeBarr has been key in the serving game for the Cardinals this season, leading the team with 20 service aces this season. She has become a bigger part of the offense as the season has gone on and looks to continue to impact the Cardinals down the stretch run.
The other Cardinal who set career best on the day was Faith Keifer on the back line. The freshman finished with 24 digs on the day to set the new personal best, while having zero reception errors. Like DeBarr, Keifer has been a strong server during her freshman season sitting three service aces behind DeBarr for the team lead, and she has been playing more and more in the back line for the Cardinals. Riley Kindall was the second of three Cardinals to finish with a double-double on the day, leading the defensive with 29 digs while sitting second on the team with 14 kills. Karly Niesen rounded out the group, having 59 assists and 13 digs as she creeps closer to the All-Time assist record, needing just 288 to reach the mark.
With another full MEC South weekend, with a non-conference match thrown in, this weekend, the Cardinals are looking to pick up three crucial wins to help them both in the conference and regional races. The Cardinals currently maintain their standing atop the MEC North, but hold just a one match lead over West Liberty for that top spot. As they come down the final three-week stretch of the season, every match becomes more crucial for both a conference tournament spot and a regional tournament spot. After the in-region loss to Ashland on Tuesday, Saturday's match becomes that much more important as the Cardinals try to get back on track in the region and make a push to not only play in the regional tournament, but bring it back to Wheeling for the first time since the 2021 season.
The Matchups
Concord: The Cardinals and Mountain Lions are meeting for the 30th time in program history on Friday, with the Cardinals leading the all-time series at 27-2. One of those two losses came at home, with the other being in a neutral site match. The Cardinals hold a 9-1 record when playing inside the Alma Grace McDonough Center and have won every match against the Mountain Lions dating back to the 1996 season. Their last meeting came in Athens, West Virginia, on October 20th, 2023 as the Cardinals picked up a 3-0 win. Former Cardinal Tylah Yeomans led the offense with 11 kills, while Riley Kindall paced the defensive effort with 12 digs.
Glenville State: The Cardinals and Pioneers will be meeting for the 34th time in program history on Saturday, with Wheeling leading the all-time series at 29-4. The Cardinals have picked up 12 of those wins on their home floor, with all four of the all-time losses coming in neutral site matchups in the late 90's. Of the 29 all-time wins for the Cardinals, 24 of them have been of the 3-0 variety as the team looks to continue their success on Saturday. Their last meeting came on October 21st, 2023, in a game the Cardinals would win 3-0. Former Cardinal Tylah Yeomans paced the offensive effort with 10 kills while Berit Jones led the defense with 10 digs.
Ohio Dominican: The Cardinals and Panthers will be meeting for the fifth time in program history, with Wheeling leading the all-time series at 4-0. It will be the first meeting between the two teams since the 2021 season, which ended up being one of the closest meetings between the two teams. The Cardinals are 2-0 all-time at home against the Panthers with both of those meetings going into five sets. Their last meeting came on September 21st, 2021, in a game the Cardinals would pull off a 3-2 victory. Riley Kindall would lead the Cardinal offense with 15 kills on the day, while former Cardinal Audrey Francis finished with 32 digs.
The Details
Tip-off for Friday's weekend opener against Concord is scheduled for 7 PM inside the Alma Grace McDonough Center. You can watch the game live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.
