Wheeling, W. Va. - As they go through their first run of the Mountain East Conference (MEC) North Division schedule, the Wheeling University Volleyball team (6-8, 3-0) has been building momentum on the court. On Tuesday, they look to take that momentum with them on the road as they travel to Frostburg, Maryland to take on Frostburg State University with tip-off at 7 PM. The Cardinals look to keep their hot start going after earning their first conference sweep of the season last time out.
The Cardinals would get that first conference sweep at the hands of Point Park University in what was a competitive three sets throughout the night. Both teams would get off to a slow start with Wheeling hitting .077 in the first set compared to a .061 mark for the Pioneers. However, it would be the Cardinals that came out on top 25-21 and the offense got better from there. Wheeling's most efficient set would come in set two, where they hit .182 and earned a 25-20 set two win, giving them a 2-0 lead in the match. The stats were nearly dead even throughout the night, with the Cardinals work at the net making the difference with nine blocks compared to six for the Pioneers. In the end, the Cardinals would not concede a set and went on to win set three 25-20 on their way to sweeping the match.
The Cardinals were able to spread the ball around throughout the night, with eight different Cardinals finishing with at least one kill. Leading the way for Wheeling was Bella DeBarr, who picked up her first career double-double in the effort. She would knock down 10 kills to go along with 10 digs, and was the team's most efficient hitter with a .368 hitting percentage on the day. She came through big when her team needed it most, knocking down the final three kills of the third set, including the final point that gave Wheeling the 25-20 win. It was the first time that DeBarr has gone into double digit kills this season, and falls just two shy of her career high of 12, which she set in 2024. The .368 hitting percentage would be the best mark of her career as DeBarr looks to continue to be a strong role player for the Cardinals down the stretch.
On the defensive side, Mara McDougal rounded out a career week on the back line, leading the team with 11 digs in the effort. It was the third straight game where McDougal finished with double-digit digs and brought her total for the week to 31 digs. She was rewarded as the MEC's Defensive Player of the Week for her efforts and looks to continue her back line success as the season goes on. In the passing game, Faith Keifer has stepped up all season long and continued that trend against Point Park. She would tie for the team lead with 12 assists, but added even more of a punch from the server's box. She would finish with two service aces in the effort, and added four digs to round out her night on the court. She has been splitting time with both Lexi Duplessis and Camryn Matus this year and looks to continue her success down the stretch.
As the Cardinals continue through their early season MEC North stretch, they will have to continue their momentum away from the Alma Grace McDonough Center. Tuesday night's match will start a stretch where the Cardinals will be on the road for three of their next four matches, with two of those three matches coming in divisional play. The Cardinals are currently 2-2 away from their home court as compared to a 4-1 record when they play in the Alma Grace McDonough Center. The Cardinals are looking to bring the MEC Tournament back home for the first time since the 2019 season in 2025, and to do that they will have to keep things rolling on the road before coming home for the final stretch of the season.
The Matchup
The Cardinals and Bobcats are meeting for the 15th time in program history on Tuesday, with Wheeling winning each of the first 14 meetings between the two teamsThe series has been split, with six games at Frostburg State and six game in Wheeling, with the Cardinals winning all six of those matches. The Cardinals have taken every set from the Bobcats since their first meeting of the 2023 season and look to continue that success Tuesday.
The last meeting between the two teams came on November 4th, 2024, in a match that the Cardinals would win 3-0. Former Cardinal Riley Kindall would lead the way with 11 kills, while Katie Wilking finished behind her with eight. The defense was paced by former Cardinal Chylyn Pate, who finished with 10 digs, while former Cardinal Karly Niesen added 38 assists to round out the day.
The Details
Tip-off for Tuesday night's match is scheduled for 7 PM inside Bobcat Arena on the campus of Frostburg State University. You can watch the match live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.
