Wheeling, W. Va. - Across all three levels of the NCAA, only 19 active Women's Volleyball coaches had reached the 700-career win mark. On Tuesday night. Wheeling Head Volleyball coach Christy Benner joined the exclusive club, becoming the 20th active volleyball coach to reach 700 career wins. The victory came in the form of a 3-0 sweep over Malone, as the Cardinals began a stretch of seven straight home matches with a victory ahead of their annual Wheeling Invitational.
With the set three score sitting at 22-14, the milestone was in site and a service error from the Pioneers would put the Cardinals back in the server's box. Avery Henschen would knock down a kill to set up match point, and the Alma Grace McDonough Center was bursting with anticipation. Berit Jones would once again step into the server's box and what would be the final rally commenced. It would be Henschen that knocked down the final kill of the night as Wheeling won set three 25-14, earning a 3-0 sweep. When the final point was scored, Benner's team surrounded her in celebration as the fans congratulated Benner on the accomplishment. With the win, Benner sits top 20 all-time in winning percentage (.813) and continues to climb the NCAA Volleyball coaching record books.
21 different Cardinals got in on the action on Tuesday night and, of those 21 14 players picked up at least one kill on the night. Leading the way was freshman Olivia Batch, who finished with six kills on 10 total attacks for a .500 hitting percentage. Riley Kindall and Katie Wilking finished behind her with five kills each while Bella DeBarr, Samantha Comer, and Mady Winters each added four kills on the day. Along with being the team's top attacker, Batch would also lead the defense with 12 digs on the day. Bella DeBarr would add 10 digs to round out the defensive effort. Karly Niesen led the offense with 30 assists on the day and Faith Keifer would get a chance at setter, picking up six assists in the win.
The night began with a Pioneer point to start set one before the Cardinals hit their run, starting with a service ace. Mady Winters would pick up two kills and Samantha Comer added a kill as the Cardinals jumped out to a 6-1 lead. From there, it would be back and forth between the two teams with Wheeling leading 15-8 in the middle of the set. The Cardinals would knock down three straight points, with Riley Kindall and Katie Wilking each picking up kills during the short run. Wheeling's defense would hold Malone to 15 points before an attack error set up set point for the Cardinals at 24-15. Kindall would knock down the final kill of the set and the Cardinals would earn a 25-15 set win and a 1-0 lead in the match.
In set two, the Cardinals came out strong once again, with a 5-0 run started by a Batch kill. Bella DeBarr would add two kills of her own during the run before Malone got their first point of the set. Wheeling extended their lead to 7-3 before hitting their second run of the set, this time a 4-0 swing, that made it 12-3. However, Malone would not go down without a fight as Marissa Smith stopped the Wheeling run and started a run for Malone as they scored six straight points. Wheeling responded with a 4-0 run of their own, making it a 16-9 set and they would once again set up set point at 24-15. Malone would stay alive thanks to a kill by Kassidy Gorsuch, by Lainey Simmons would end things there with a kill that gave Wheeling a 25-16 lead and a 2-0 advantage in the match.
With the milestone in sight, the Cardinals would begin the third set with another run, this time scoring seven of the first eight points of the set. It would be back and forth runs for the teams as Malone scored four straight points while Wheeling added three straight points to set the score at 10-5. The run that would seal the deal came when the Cardinals were ahead 16-10 at the midway point of the set. Emma Manser would smack down a kill as the Cardinals scored five straight points to extend their lead to 21-10. The Cardinals would go on to sweep the match and clinch the milestone moment for their coach with the win.
The Wheeling University Volleyball team returns to action on Thursday, September 19th, when they take on Gannon with tip-off at 7 PM.
