Erie, PA. - The Wheeling University Volleyball team (26-9) battled through the wind and snow to get to the Hagerty Family Events Center in Erie, Pennsylvania, and that battle continued on the court. The Cardinals went back and forth against Pitt-Johnstown for four sets, and in the end picked up a 3-1 win to advance to the NCAA DII Atlantic Regional Tournament semifinals. The Cardinals avenged a quarterfinal loss from a season ago, and will take on #2 IUP or #7 Shepherd in the Semifinal match.
The Cardinal's offense would combine to hit .310 across the four sets, led by a career-best day from senior outside hitter Riley Kindall. Kindall would knock down 26 kills on 58 total attacks for a .345 hitting percentage. She continued her success on the defensive side of the ball, racking up a team-high 16 digs to complete the double-double, marking her 19th double-double of the season. She was one of two Cardinals to get into double figures on the day, with Olvia Batch finishing with 14 kills and an efficient .323 hitting percentage. The offensive success was led by the efforts of setter Karly Niesen, who finished with 52 assists and added three kills of her own in the effort. Kindall led the defensive effort, and was followed by Niesen, who finished with 13 digs, and Batch who added 10 digs.
Both teams would hit several back and forth runs on the day and it started right from the first set. UPJ would get the first points on the night on a kill from Natalie Lippincott, and Wheeling would hit the first mini run, scoring three of the next four points. No team would have a lead larger than three points early on and UPJ had the early advantage at 10-7. Olivia Batch got the ball back to her offense, and Wheeling would hit the largest run of the day, scoring six of seven points to get in front 13-11. Batch was responsible for two of those points, but UPJ once again battled back to make it a 15-14 game. The run that sealed the deal was started with a Kindall kill, as the Cardinals scored five straight points to build a 20-14 lead. That would be enough to claim the set as the Cardinals went on to win 25-19 and took a 1-0 lead in the match.
Wheeling would be the one to strike first in set two, with Batch knocking down a kill and an attack error leading the Cardinals to a 2-0 advantage. However, it would be another back and forth set for the Cardinals, and the team would find itself ahead 8-7 early. It then became a set of runs, as the lead changed hands on a 4-1 Mountain Cat run that made it an 11-9 game. Kindall would break the run with a kill, and started a Cardinal run that saw them get ahead 15-12. Pitt-Johnstown had no quit on the night, going on a 5-1 run that got them to within one point at 21-20. The Cardinals responded with three straight points, with Kindall hitting back-to-back kills to set up set point at 24-21. Pitt-Johnstown would keep the set alive with a kill, but Kindall would bring the set to an end, and the Cardinals took a 2-0 lead after a 25-21 win.
The Cardinals were looking to end things in set three, and got out to a strong start, scoring seven of the first eight points. Mady Winters added two kills on the run and things looked to be in control as the Cardinals expanded their advantage to 9-2. However, the Mountain Cats battled, going on runs of 5-0, 5-1, and 5-1 as they took a 20-16 lead. Tey ended up riding the momentum, and picked up a 25-21 set tree win to keep the match alive. After being knocked out in the quarterfinal round last season at the hands of a reverse sweep, the Cardinals looked to end things right away in set four. They initially went down 3-1, but a Winters kill turned things around and sent the Cardinals on a 7-1 run. The Cardinals took advantage of several Mountain Cat attack errors during the run, and the Cardinals had a 7-3 lead. Just like the third set, the Mountain Cats would make things close, getting to within 23-20 late in the set. Batch would set up match point with a kill, and the Mountain Cats stayed alive thanks to Dannika Susko. However, Wheeling avenged their loss from last year, as Kindall knocked down the final kill and the Cardinals won 25-21, taking the match 3-1.
The Wheeling University Volleyball team will return to action on Friday evening when they play the winner of #2 IUP and #7 Shepherd with tip-off at 4 PM.
