Wheeling, W. Va. – As they get set to close out their October schedule, they wrap up play in the Mountain East Conference (MEC) South Division with their second straight back-to-back weekend. The Cardinals will open things up at Concord on Friday night at 5 PM before heading to Glenville State on Saturday at 2 PM. After a tough stretch to end their first run through the MEC North, the Cardinals are looking to get momentum back in their side as they hit the MEC Tournament stretch run.
The Cardinals kept their success rolling last time out as they traveled to Pepper Pike, Ohio to battle Ursuline. It was the Cardinal's most efficient match performance of the season, hitting .409 as a team and hitting .400 or better in two of the three sets. In set one, the Cardinals came out and made a statement as they took an early 10-4 advantage and, despite Ursuline challenging throughout the night, the Cardinals were able to hold on for the 25-23 win. In the second set, the Cardinals had their most efficient showing of the day as they hit .542 as team in the set and got started strong, scoring the sets first five points. They rode that success to a 25-14 set two win and looked to finish off the sweep. They would do just that, hitting .444 as a team in the final set and walking away with the 25-17 set win to complete the 3-0 victory.
Leading the way once again for the Cardinals was freshman Camryn Matus, who finished with 11 kills and was the team's most efficient hitter for her number of attacks. Matus would hit .444 in the match, setting a new career high and was able to pick up double digit kills after being held to single digits each of the last two times out. Matus has stepped up to be the offensive leader for the Cardinals in 2025, leading the team with 202 kills, while averaging 2.77 kills/set, across her 21 matches played. Since the Wheeling Invitational earlier this year, Matus has picked up double digit kills in 10 of the 13 matches, and has hit .300 or better in seven of those efforts. With the Cardinals battling in the wide-open MEC North Division, Matus looks to pace the Cardinal offense as they make a run back towards the MEC Tournament in November.
The other Cardinal to reach double digit kills was Bella DeBarr, who has stepped up in a big way for her team after injuries. She would also set a new career-high, hitting .391 in the match and was four kills shy from her career-high of 15. She has made the most of her opportunities as of late, picking up double digit kills in four of the last six match-ups, and has now hit .390 or better in back-to-back matches. Taking over the setter role for the Cardinals has been Lexi Duplessis, who had another strong output with 38 assists. The freshman now has 30 or more assists in back-to-back matches and has picked up at least 20 assists in seven of the last eight. She looks to continue to set her outside hitters and create chances for the Cardinal offense down the stretch.
As they get set to wrap up the MEC South portion of their schedule, the Cardinals will be looking to get back in the win column in conference play. Wheeling dropped two of their last three conference matches, and have fallen into a tie for the MEC North Division lead with West Liberty. The Cardinals are set to open the weekend against one of the hottest teams in the MEC this season in Concord, who sits a half game behind Charleston for the MEC South lead, and ends the weekend with a road trip to Glenville State on Saturday. The fight to host the MEC Tournament isstill on, and a strong weekend for the Cardinals would go a long way in putting them back at the forefront. Charleston and Concord are the two remaining teams with only one loss on the season, and Wheeling will see both of those opponents in the next week. If Wheeling is able to win those two matches, they will be right back on track as they look to bring the tournament back to the Alma Grace McDonough Center.
The Matchups
Concord: The Cardinals and Mountain Lions are meeting for the 31st time in program history, with Wheeling leading the all-time series at 28-2. 12 of those 28 wins have come on the road, with the two all-time series losses coming at home and at a neutral site location. The Mountain Lions took their first set from the Cardinals since the 1996 season in their most recent meeting and the teams will battle once again on Friday. Their last meeting came on October 25th, 2025, in a match that the Cardinals would win 3-1. Leading the way for Wheeling was former Cardinal Riley Kindall, who finished with 24 kills, while former Cardinal Karly Niesen added a team high 16 digs and 48 assists in the effort.
Glenville State: The Cardinals and Pioneers are meeting for the 35th time in program history on Saturday, with the Cardinals leading the all-time series at 30-4. The Cardinals have picked up 11 of those 30 wins on the road and the Pioneers have not won a match against Wheeling since the 1998 season. Wheeling has won every match 3-0 since then and looks to continue their success to round out the weekend. The last meeting between the two teams came on October 26th, 2024, in a match that Wheeling would win 3-0. Former Cardinal Aly Finch would lead the way with 10 kills, while former Cardinal Nicole Reasbeck led the passing game with 17 assists.
The Details
First serve for Friday's weekend opener is scheduled for 5 PM inside the Carter Center on the campus of Concord University. You can watch the action live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.
