Wheeling, W. Va. - The October portion of the 2025 schedule came to a close with the annual Halloween match for the Wheeling University Volleyball team (13-12, 8-3) on Friday night. The Cardinals welcomed in the University of Charleston in a match with hosting implications for the Mountain East Conference (MEC) Tournament inside the Alma Grace McDonough Center. Wheeling would come out on top in a 3-0 sweep and put themselves in the driver's seat for earning hosting rights for the tournament down the final two and a half week stretch of the season. 

After falling to Fairmont State on Tuesday, the Cardinals were looking to get out to a hot start, and would battle back after falling behind 4-2 early in set one. Katie Wilking would knock down a kill to start a 4-0 swing for the Cardinals that put them out in front 6-4. After the Golden Eagles temporarily stopped the run, it was Olivia Batch who sent the Cardinals on a second 4-0 run that extended their advantage to 10-5. Wheeling's defense would hold strong throughout the first set, holding the Golden Eagles just five points over the next 12-point, and their lead extended to 17-10. Charleston would try to battle back in the set, and got as close as 23-18 before Camryn Matus brought up set point with a kill at 24-18. The Golden Eagles would get to the 20-point mark with back-to-back points to stay alive, but an attack error would bring the run to an end and Wheeling went on to win 25-20. 

It was the most efficient set of the night for the Cardinals, hitting .400 as a team as they took a 1-0 lead in the match. They would continue their momentum into the second set as Batch and Wilking each knocked down two kills as the Cardinals got out to a 4-1 lead. After extending their lead to 7-4, a 3-0 Golden Eagle run would tie the match at 7-7 before the Cardinals pulled away once again after a service error. Three different Cardinals would knock down kllls and Faith Keifer would add a service ace as the Cardinals extended their lead to 13-8. Charleston would respond with a 4-0 run of their own as they battled back and tied the set at 14-14. The two teams would go back and forth the rest of the way and a Divine Muo kill for Charleston tied the set at 22-22. A bad set gave the Cardinals the ball and a block assist by Lexi Duplessis and Wilking brought up set point. Charleston would keep the set alive with a kill, but a service error would give Wheeling a 25-23 win and they took a 2-0 lead in the match. 

It would be another strong start for the Cardinals as Batch started things with a kill, and they went on a 6-2 run to start the set. It would be a set of runs early on and, after battling back to make it 10-6, the Golden Eagles would hit a 7-1 run that flipped the scoreboard. The lead would change hands four times as they got to the late portion of the set with Charleston leading 21-20. The Cardinal blocking duo of Duplessis and Ava Dickerson would help the Cardinals tie the set and they would add another point to make it 22-21 in favor of Wheeling. T would end up going to a win-by-two scenario as the Cardinal block game got them the first point of the extra portion. Charleston's Muo would bring things back to even, but Wilking jumped up to knock down a kill. Wheeling would hold a 26-25 lead, and it was once again Wilking who sealed the deal with a kill as the Cardinals completed the sweep with a 27-25 win. 

It was a big day for the Cardinal front row, and they were led on both sides of the ball by junior middle blocker Katie Wilking. She led the way with 14 kills in the effort, and did not commit an attack error on her way to a .483 hitting percentage. She added six blocks, one solo and five assisted, on the defensive side, rounding out a big day on the court. She was one of two Cardinals to hit over .400 on the night, with Camryn Matus also hitting the mark with 11 kills and a .429 hitting percentage in the win. On the back line, the Cardinals were once again led by Megan Platt, who finished with 21 digs for the third match in a row. Olivia Batch was the other Cardinal to reach double digit digs, finishing with 10 digs and eight kills to round out the night. 

The Wheeling University Volleyball team returns to action on Tuesday, November 4th, when they host Frostburg State with tip-off at 7 PM.