Wheeling, W. Va. – The Wheeling Invitational kicked off with a bang on Thursday night as the Wheeling University Volleyball team (4-6, 0-0) played host to Gannon. The Golden Knights have been a nemesis of the Cardinals over the last three seasons, but the Cardinals would triumph in a five-set win 3-2. They won the first two sets before surviving a Gannon comeback to take the match in three sets. 

All five sets were back and forth, and it started from set one. Gannon would strike for the first two points of the set before Cami Black got the Cardinals back on the board with a kill. It would send the Cardinals on a 3-0 run that gave them a 3-2 lead in the set. Gannon would take back the lead at 5-4 before Katie Wilking opened things up and started what would be a big night with a kill. It sent the Cardinals on a 6-1 run as they took the biggest lead of the match to that point. The Cardinals would maintain their slim lead at 19-15 and had Gannon on the ropes as they extended the lead to 23-16. As was the case throughout the night, the Golden Knights would not go down without a fight, scoring five straight points to make it a 23-21 set. However, the Golden Knights would knock down back-to-back attack errors and the Cardinals would take a crucial first set from Gannon 25-21 and led 1-0 in the match.

Set two mirrored set one's start, with Gannon scoring the first two points and Wheeling answering with a 3-0 run to take a 3-2 lead. The two teams once again battled, splitting the first 12 points of the set before the Cardinals once again got the advantage. This time, it was a Wilking kill that opened the door and sent the Cardinals on a 5-1 run that made it an 11-7 Cardinal advantage. Every time the Cardinals would open things up, Gannon had an answer as the score came even several times throughout the set. Things would sit tied at 21-21 when Wilking once again started things with a kill. Two Golden Knights attack errors later, Wheeling set up set point at 24-21 as they looked to take a two set advantage over the Golden Knights. Another Gannon attack error would seal the deal as the Cardinals took a 2-0 lead heading into the third set.

The third set would once again see the teams trade blows, splitting the first 16 points of the set. However, it was Gannon that opened things up going on an 8-1 run that made it a 16-9 Golden Knights advantage. Late in the set, Gannon held a 22-15 lead as the Cardinals began a comeback effort. Mady Winters and Riley Kindall would each knock down kills, but the effort fell short as Gannon picked up a 25-19 ef win to stay alive in the match. Wheeling nearly brought the match to an end in the fourth set as they hit the late portion of the set trailing 20-17. Winters would knock down a kill to get the Cardinals started on a 4-0 run that gave them a 21-20 lead. However, the run came too little too late as Gannong finished off the set 25-22 and forced a fifth and final set to decide a winner. The two Atlantic Region powerhouses were each looking for momentum in front of a packed Alma Grace McDonough Center.

Wheeling would get the first points of the deciding set, with Winters knocking down a kill. The Cardinals headed on a 5-2 run to build an early advantage, with Kindall leading the charge with two kills. Gannon battled back to make it 5-4 and the two teams were neck and neck until Wheeling held an 8-6 advantage. Winters picked up a kill to make it 9-6 and Cami Black took the server's box. It was a position she would never leave as Wheeling scored the final seven points of the night, their biggest run at any point of the match. Kindall had three kills on the run, including the biggest of the night when Wheeling set up match point at 14-6. She slammed down the final kill as Wheeling took the set 15-6 and won the match 3-2 for their fourth win of the season. It was the first win for the Cardinals against Gannon since 2018 as they started the Wheeling Invitational strong.

Leading the way for the Cardinals was sophomore Katie Wilking, who finished with 19 kills and a .471 hitting percentage on the day. It tied Wilking's career high as she continues to be a force in the middle of the net for the Cardinals. Riley Kindall and Mady Winters each added 15 kills on the day, with Kindall picking up her third double double of the season:?-, also leading the way with 19 digs. Karly Niesen led the passing game with 55 assists, while adding two kills of her own for a .400 hitting percentage. On the defensive side, Niesen and Cami Black followed Kindall with 17 digs each, while Giana Mutersbaugh and Chylyn Pate each had 12.

The Wheeling University Volleyball team returns to action on Friday, September 20th, when they host Shippensburg with rip-off at 4 PM.