Wheeling, W. Va. – The Wheeling University Volleyball team (18-9, 9-2) has been on the road for the last week and the road trip continues into the first full week of November. They head to Frostburg, Maryland on Monday as they continue Mountain East Conference (MEC) North play against Frostburg State at 7 PM. The Cardinals are looking to bounce back on the court as they head down the final stretch towards the MEC Tournament.

Last time out, the Cardinals wrapped up their MEC South regular season schedule when they traveled to the University of Charleston. Wheeling started the night with their most efficient set of the day, hitting .357 in the opening set. However, Charleston was just a little more efficient, knocking down a .457 hitting percentage to take a 25-19 set one win. The Golden Eagles came back equally strong in set two with a 25-17 set win and the Cardinals had their backs against the wall. In set three, the Wheeling defense rebounded, allowing just an .077 hitting percentage and the Cardinal hitters responded with a 25-17 win to make it a 2-1 game. The comeback would end up falling just short as the Cardinals dropped the final set 25-20, taking just their second conference loss of the 2024 season.

The Cardinal offense was once again led by Riley Kindall, who picked up her 13^th double-double of the season. She was the only Cardinal to reach double digit kills on the night, finishing with 14 kills Island a .233 hitting percentage. It was Kindall's fifth straight double digit kills effort and the third time in the last five games that she has hit 15 or more kills in a contest. The senior sits tied for the conference lead with 343 kills and sits second with an average of 3.65 kills/set this season. Along with her work on offense, Kindall was also the Cardinal's defensive leader with 14 digs on the day. She leads the Cardinals in both categories this season and sits fifth in the conference in digs with 351 this season.

The Cardinal's most efficient hitter this season has been Katie Wilking, who finished with seven kills and a .333 hitting percentage. She is the MEC's leader in hitting percentage this season, knocking down a .396 hitting percentage. Over the last 10 matches, the sophomore has hit .300 or better in each of those matches, hitting .400 or better in nine of the last 10 matches. Joining her in the middle of the net was Mady Winters, who finished with nine kills and led the way with five blocks on the night. Winters has been strong on defense throughout the season for the Cardinals, and sits second in the conference in blocks with 109. She sits one block behind Charleston's Kate Strong and looks to continue to be a force up front for the team.

As they battle through the final stretch of matches, the Cardinals continue to battle for the top spot in the MEC North. Despite the loss to Charleston, the Cardinals maintain their top spot in the division, holding a one-game advantage over West Liberty. With four of their final five matches coming in MEC North Division play, the team will look to finish strong ahead of their MEC Tournament run. The Cardinals clinched a playoff spot last week and continues to prepare to defend their MEC Championship. They will use the final two weeks of the season to craft their game so they can make a run towards the conference and regional playoffs.

The Matchup

The Cardinals and Bobcats are meeting for the 14^th time in program history, and the second time this season. The Cardinals have won each of the first 13 matches between the two teams, including a 5-0 record in Frostburg, Maryland. Wheeling has won each of the last three matches by a 3-0 score and they look to continue that success into Monday night's matchup.

Their last meeting came on October 8^th, 2024, in a game that Wheeling would win 3-0 in the Alma Grace McDonough Center. Riley Kindall would lead the offense with 18 kills on the day, while Samantha Comer added 10 kills to round out the day. Kindall was also the Cardinal's leader on the defensive side, finishing with 14 digs, while Chylyn Pate added 13 digs of her own on the day.

The Details

Tip-off for Monday night's game is scheduled for 7 PM inside Bobcat Arena. You can watch the match live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.