Wheeling, W. Va. - The Mountain East Conference (MEC) schedule has gotten off to a strong start for the Wheeling University Volleyball team (5-8, 2-0) and they look to keep the success going on their home floor. The Cardinals welcome in Point Park for a Friday night matchup inside the Alma Grace McDonough Center with tip-off at 7 PM. It will serve as the tip-off event for the 2025 Wheeling University Homecoming, Hall of Fame, and Family Weekend as the Cardinals celebrate alumni old and new.
Last time out, the Cardinals tipped off their MEC North schedule when they traveled to Fairmont State University. The Cardinals came out strong in set one with their best hitting percentage of the day at .273 and got out to an 11-2 lead early in the set. They went on to win by the score of 25-13, but Fairmont State would come back with a set two win to tie the match at 1-1. Set three would be a crucial set for the Cardinals, with the team holding a 13-11 lead midway through. However, the Cardinals would hit a late 7-3 run to create separation and walked away with a 21-14 set three win. The Cardinals now had a 2-1 lead in the match and made an early statement to end things in set four, getting out to a 7-3 lead. In the end, the Cardinals would get the job done with a 25-21 set four win as they moved to 2-0 in conference play with a 3-1 victory.
Leading the offense for the Cardinals was freshman Camryn Matus, who continues her breakout effort since the start of the Wheeling Invitational. She currently sits second on the team with 133 kills through 13 matches this season. Fairmont State would be her top effort of the season so far, setting a new career-high with 20 kills while also being the team's most efficient hitter with a .318 hitting percentage. It continued a string of success for the freshman that started with the Wheeling Invitational as she has knocked down double digit kills in each of the last six matches, with the last five matches seeing her pick up 15 or more kills. As the conference schedule continues, Matus will be looked to for strong offense for the team as she helps lead them down their conference stretch.
On the defensive side, the freshman class has found another breakout star in libero Kendall Kupper. Kupper tied her career high with 34 digs against Fairmont State, reaching the mark in each of her last two matches. Like Matus, Kupper made her presence known during the Wheeling Invitational, and has gone over the 25 dig mark in each of her last three matches. The passing game has featured a dynamic duo on the court in Faith Keifer and Lexi Duplessis. Keifer leads the duo with 279 assists and has also been getting it done in the server's box, where she leads the Cardinals with 12 service aces this season. Keifer has already passed her career high in assists and looks to continue her strong performances in both the passing and serving game.
Friday night kicks off the Homecoming, Family, and Hall of Fame weekend, and the Wheeling University Volleyball team will be at the center of that celebration. They will kick-off the weekend's athletic festivities in the Alma Grace McDonough Center and that celebration will continue into the 2025 Wheeling Athletics Hall of Fame induction ceremony on Saturday. The Cardinals will be having two of their former players honored, with Cardinal alumni Kirstin Hearn and Kim Melinauskas cementing their place in Wheeling Athletics History. Both will be on hand for Friday night's match, with both being honored in a special pre-match ceremony before they get their official induction into the Hall of Fame. Several other alumni from the program's history spanning from 2002-2025 will be on hand to celebrate the history of Wheeling Volleyball.
The Matchup
The Cardinals and Pioneers will be meeting for the seventh time in program history on Friday night, with Wheeling leading the all-time series at 7-0. It will be the sixth meeting between the teams inside the Alma Grace McDonough center, and the third time the two teams have met since becoming MEC foes. The Cardinals have swept each of the last three matches against the Pioneers, with Point Park last taking a set back on November 6th, 2012, in what was a five-set match.
The last meeting between the two teams came on November 8th, 2024, in a match that the Cardinals would win 3-0 on the road. Former Cardinal Riley Kindall led the way with 12 kills, while former Cardinal Aly Finch added 10 kills in the effort. Former Cardinal Berit Jones picked up a team-best 13 digs on the back line and former Cardinal Karly Niesen finished with 39 assists to round out the day.
The Details
Tip-off for Friday night's match is scheduled for 7 PM inside the Alma Grace McDonough Center. You can watch the match live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats yb clicking HERE.