Wheeling, W. Va. – With a spot in the 2024 Mountain East Conference (MEC) already secured, the Wheeling University Volleyball team (22-9, 11-2) have been battling for seeding. On Friday, that battle comes to a head when the team heads up the hill for "The Battle for Wheeling" against West Liberty, with tip-off at 7 PM. It will be the second meeting between the two teams this season and both are looking to head into the Mountain East Conference (MEC) Tournament strong.

Last time out, the Cardinals wrapped up the non-conference portion of their schedule, earning a 3-0 sweep over Salem. The Cardinal offense was strong from the first point of the night, putting up a team-high .400 hitting percentage in a 25-12 win. In total, the Cardinals hit .297 as a team with 12 different players registering at least one kill on the night, as Wheeling completed the 3-0 sweep. While the offense was rolling, the defense and the passers were doing their jobs as well. 16 different Cardinals finished the night with at least one dig and Salem was held to a team-hitting percentage of just .034 in the contest. The Cardinals took the final two sets by scores of 25-8 and 25-16 and went on to pick up their 22^nd win overall, and their 19^th win in Atlantic Region Play.

The story of the night was setter Karly Niesen, who firmly cemented herself in the team's program history. On the ninth point of the night, she became the Cardinal's all-time leader in career assists, sitting at 5,956, breaking the old record held by former Cardinal Andrea Thobe of 5,920. She is one of just three Cardinal setters to go over the 5,000 assist mark and is trying to put herself in her own company, becoming the first Cardinal ever to reach 6,000 career assists. Not only has she distinguished herself as one of the top players in the Mountain East Conference (MEC), but across all of NCAA DII. She currently leads the nation in assists, with 1208, while sitting 16^th in the nation with a 10.88 assists/set average.

Niesen credited her hitters and her passers for helping her get her milestone, and Riley Kindall continued to be one of those rocks for Niesen. Kindall would finish the night with 10 kills on 26 total attacks, putting together a .308 hitting percentage. She has been one of the top attackers across NCAA DII, sitting in the top 20 in the nation with 390 kills. While Niesen has led the way in kills, it has been Katie Wilking who has led the team in efficiency. Wilking has a .404 hitting percentage through 30 matches this season, leading NCAA DII in that category. She put together another.400+ hitting percentage match, going above the mark for the 19^th time across the team's 30 matches this season. Wilking and Kindall look to continue fueling the Cardinal's offensive success this season as they head into postseason play.

As they enter their final regular season match of the season, the Cardinals have already locked down the #1 spot in the MEC North Division. With West Liberty's loss to Frostburg State on Tuesday night, the Cardinals took a two game lead over the Hilltoppers earning them the title. Wheeling is looking to keep momentum on their side heading into the tournament as they try to defend their 2023 MEC Championship. Wheeling will learn on Friday night where they will be headed for the tournament, with the winner of the West Virginia State vs. Charleston game serving as the host for the 2024 MEC Tournament. Wheeling has gone on the road in each of the last three seasons for the MEC Championships, and will look to bring home another road win this season.

The Matchup

The Cardinals and Hilltoppers are meeting for the 56^th time in program history on Friday night, and the second time this season. Wheeling holds a 53-2 advantage in the series overall, and has won 17 of the 18 matchups between the two teams on the Hilltop. Wheeling has not lost a match to West Liberty since the 2020 Spring COVID season, and they look to keep that momentum going in their final regular season meeting.

Their most recent meeting came on October 15^th, 2024, in a match that the Cardinals won 3-1. Wheeling was led by Riley Kindall, who finished with 13 kills and 11 digs on the day. Mady Winters would finish with 10 kills and Chylyn Pate added 17 digs to round out the effort. Karly Niesen would lead the offense with 42 assists on the day, while helping her team to a .302 hitting percentage.

The Details

Tip-off for Friday night's match is scheduled for 7 PM inside the Academic Sports & Recreation Complex on the campus of West Liberty University. You can watch the game live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.