Wheeling, W. Va- The Wheeling University Volleyball team (19-9), (10-2) will have one more destination to travel to as they wrap up a four-game road trip. The next stop is Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to take on the Point Park Pioneers. They will return home the following day to take on non-conference Lake Erie College.
The Cardinals, so far, have gone 2-1 over their stint away from home. They dropped a conference matchup against Charleston but returned to themselves after sweeping Frostburg State. Wheeling made quick work of their opponent on Monday night in Maryland. The Cards took set one 25-15 and set two 25-17 over the Bobcats. FSU hung with Wheeling in the third set, making it the most competitive. Riley Kindell pushed the Cardinal lead to 21-16 off a 5-1 run she sparked. Wheeling made it a match point, but that was after Frostburg battled back to make it 24-20. Ultimately, the Cards did not relinquish the lead and won 25-22 off the swing from Aly Finch.
Wheeling has many players appearing in major statistical categories in the Mountain East Conference (MEC) and in NCAA Division II. Karly Niessen not only comfortably leads the conference in assists but is also number one in the country with 1,092 assists. She sits at 5,840 in her career and is only 80 assists shy of the all-time school record, 5,920. Katie Wilking sits atop the MEC as the most efficient hitter. She has recorded a .397 hitting percentage and is 12th in the nation in that category. Mady WInters remains a key piece in the middle of the floor, amassing 112 blocks. Her total puts her second in the MEC and 12th in Division II. Riley Kindell has been proven to be a top contributor on this Wheeling squad, as she's racked up 354 kills. She sits second in the MEC and is tied for 18th in the nation with her total.
The Matchups
Point Park and Wheeling squared off once already this season on October 4th. That match was initially scheduled to be in Pittsburgh, but the two schools agreed to flip the home and road games so venue accommodations could be set.
The last meeting was held inside the Alma Grace McDonough Center, where the Cardinals faced little resistance against the Pioneers to emerge with a 3-0 win. Samantha Comer led the floor in kills with nine. Chylyn Pate recorded 10 digs, and Kindell finished just above her with 11. Niessen registered 28 assists.
The Pioneers are looking to defend home court and snap a seven-game losing streak.
The Cardinals will welcome the Lake Erie College Storm once Wheeling returns from Pittsburgh. Wheeling last saw them back in 2017. The Cardinals were victorious, taking the match 3-1.
The Storm come from the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (GMAC), where they hold a 7-18 record and a 4-8 record in their conference. They are coming off back-to-back 3-0 losses to Hillsdale and Northwood of the GMAC.
The Details
The Wheeling University Volleyball team will wrap up a four-game road trip when it takes on the Point Park Pioneers on Friday, November 8th, at 7 PM. The match will be streamed and can be seen HERE. LiveStats will be tracked and can be seen HERE. On Saturday, the Cardinals return home to host the Lake Erie College Storm at 3 PM. The match will be streamed live on MEC.TV HERE and LiveStats can be viewed HERE.
