Wheeling, W. Va. - After celebrating senior day on Saturday, the Wheeling University Volleyball team (21-9, 11-2) wraps up their regular season home schedule on Tuesday night. They welcome in Salem for a non-conference match with tip-off scheduled for 7 PM as the Cardinals look to finish strong at home. It will also serve as their final tune-up for a big match against West Liberty on Friday night, where the two teams will battle for the top spot in the Mountain East Conference (MEC) North Division.

Last time out, the Cardinals celebrated their nine seniors as they took on Lake Erie College in their senior day match. After the nine seniors were honored in a pregame ceremony, it would be those same seniors that got the Cardinals rolling. The offense started out strong, hitting .273 in the first set and they walked away with a 25-16 set one win. While the offense was rolling, the defense was just as strong, holding Salem to a sub .100 hitting percentage in each of the first two sets. Wheeling picked up a 25-17 set two win and entered the third set looking for a sweep. It would end up being the serving box that made the difference as the Cardinals picked up seven service aces on the day, compared to one for the Storm, and the Cardinals pulled out a 25-18 set win and took the match 3-0 on their home floor.

Leading the way for the Cardinals as she has done all season has been setter Karly Niesen. The Graduate Student finished the week with 116 assists across three matches and will most likely reach a milestone mark Tuesday night. She enters the match needing just two assists to reach the career assist record for the program, which she has been chasing down throughout the season. With her 39 assists against Lake Erie, she now has 35+ assists in 20 of the 30 matches she has played in this season, including reaching the mark in each of her last six matches. She also helped the Cardinals to a .311 hitting percentage over the past week and looks to have them firing on all cylinders as they prepare for the 2024 MEC Tournament.

After looking for consistency on the back line throughout the season, the Cardinals have found a leader in Chylyn Pate. Pate had a big senior day performance for the Cardinals, finishing with 20 digs across the three sets. Pate has picked up 41 assists over her last three matches, including her first career kill in the match against Point Park Friday night. She sits second on the team with 280 digs this season, while averaging 2.98 digs/set. The difference in Saturday afternoon's game came in the serving box, and three different Cardinals finished with multiple service aces. Niesen, Riley Kindall, and Faith Keifer each picked up two on the day, while Bella DeBarr earned the final service ace. DeBarr and Keifer have led the Cardinals in serving this season, finishing with 23 service aces each, and they look to continue the success into Tuesday night.

With just two games remaining in the regular season, the race is on for the Cardinals as they fight for the top spot in the MEC North Division. Entering play on Tuesday, the Cardinals hold a 1.5 game lead over West Liberty for the top spot in the conference, with West Liberty set to make that half game up when they take on Frostburg State on Tuesday. If West Liberty falls to Frostburg State, the Cardinals will clinch the top spot in the MEC North Division. However, if West Liberty wins, it will set up a showdown in the final match of the regular season for the MEC North title. A Cardinal win would guarantee them the MEC North Division title, while a loss would send the teams into a tie breaker. Wheeling looks to handle their business as they head down the playoff stretch, with the tournament beginning next week.

The Matchup

The Cardinals and Tigers are meeting for the 20th time in program history on Tuesday night, and the second time during the 2024 season. Wheeling leads the all-time series with a record of 19-0, including an 8-0 record against Salem inside the Alma Grace McDonough Center. Wheeling has swept each of the last 15 matchups between the two teams and they look to continue their success into Tuesday night's matchup.

Their most recent meeting came on October 11th, 2024, when the Cardinals picked up a 3-0 sweep over the Tigers. The Cardinals were led by freshman Olivia Batch, who finished with nine kills, while Samantha Comer added eight kills on the day. On defense, it was Bella DeBarr leading the effort with 12 digs while Karly Niesen led the way with 34 assists to round out the day.

The Details

Tip-off for Tuesday night's match is scheduled for 7 PM inside the Alma Grace McDonough Center. You can watch the match live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.