Wheeling, W. Va. – Following the 2024 Mountain East Conference (MEC) Tournament, the Wheeling University Volleyball team (25-9) learned they had earned an at-large bid for the 2024 NCAA DII Atlantic Regional Tournament. Their road to the NCAA DII National Championship begins Thursday, December 5th, when they take on #6 Pitt-Johnstown with tip-off at 11 AM. The Cardinals will head to Gannon University for the third season in a row, as they look to get to the National Tournament for the first time since the 2018 season.
The Cardinals last took the court on Saturday, November 23rd, when they took on West Virginia State in the 2024 MEC Championship match. It was a rematch of each of the last two conference championship matches and the Yellow Jackets came out strong, picking up a 25-13 set one win that put the Cardinals behind 1-0. However, the Cardinals came back strong in the second set, putting together their most efficient hitting percentage of the night at .225. They knocked down 12 kills during the set and had three attack errors on their way to a 25-16 set two win that evened things up at 1-1. However, the Yellow Jackets would come back strong with wins of 25-26 and 25-19 to round out the match. The Cardinals fell 3-1, finishing as runners up in the MEC for the first time in program history.
Throughout the MEC tournament, the Cardinals got big contributions from the middle of the net. They were led by senior Samantha Comer, who finished with 23 kills across the three matches. She was the team's leading attacker in each of the first two matches of the tournament, finishing with nine kills each time. Comer transitioned from outside hitter to middle blocker midseason and took full advantage of the opportunity. She made the switch against Point Park on October 4th and since that match she has averaged 5.2 kills/match. She picked up eight or more kills five times during that stretch, including back-to-back nine kills efforts in the MEC Quarterfinal and Semifinal. She looks to continue excelling in the middle of the net as she helps lead the team to the regional tournament.
The Cardinals will also be looking to two of their most recent All-MEC players to lead the effort as they push to the national stage. Graduate setter Karly Niesen has been a leader for the team throughout her career, and is putting together another strong push in 2024. She leads all of NCAA DII with 1,355, while sitting top 20 in the nation with 10.93 assists per set. Riley Kindall also earned First Team All-MEC honors, being a strong six-rotation player for the Cardinals throughout the season. She leads the Cardinals in both kills (429) and digs (439), while leading the entire MEC in kills, and sitting fifth overall in digs. Kindall and Niesen will be tasked with once again leading the Cardinals as they make their run through the NCAA DII Atlantic Region Tournament.
For the third year in a row, team's will be braving the winter weather, making their way to Gannon University for the Regional Championships. The Cardinals are looking to avenge their performance from a season ago, when they fell in the quarterfinal round to #7 Shaw University. The tournament features three days of competition, with teams having to win to move on. The quarterfinal round will tip-off with four games on Thursday, beginning with Wheeling's match against Pitt-Johnstown at 11 AM. The semifinals will be played on Friday evening, followed by the 2024 NCAA DII Atlantic Regional Championship match on Saturday at 7 PM. The Cardinals are looking to get back to the Regional Championship match for the first time since the 2021 season, when they hosted the tournament and fell to Gannon 3-0.
The Matchup
The Cardinals and Mountain Cats will be meeting for the 15th time in program history, with the Cardinals leading the all-time series at 14-0. It will be just the second meeting between the two teams since the 2018 season, and only the second time the two teams have met in postseason play, with Wheeling winning the first 3-0 back in 2016. The two teams have met in neutral venues on two different occasions, with the Cardinals winning each of those meetings.
Their most recent meeting came on September 15th, 2023, in a match the Cardinals would win 3-0 at home. The Cardinals were led in that match by former Cardinal Tylah Yeomans, who finished with 18 kills on 36 total attacks for a .389 hitting percentage. Karly Niesen picked up 37 assists, and led the team to a .297 hitting percentage, while Niesen and Riley Kindall combined for the team lead with 13 digs each in the effort.
The Details
Tip-off for Thursday morning's match is scheduled for 11 AM inside the Hagerty Events Center in Erie, Pennsylvania. You can watch the match live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.
