Frostburg, MD. - The first run through of Mountain East Conference (MEC) North Division action took the Wheeling University Volleyball team (7-8, 4-0) to Frostburg, Maryland. The Cardinals battled on the court throughout the night, but were able to keep the success going as they took down Frostburg State 3-1. It kept the Cardinal's strong start to conference play going as they kicked off a stretch that will see them play three of their next four matches away from the Alma Grace McDonough Center.
The first set of the night was a set of runs early on, with Frostburg State scoring the first three points, and taking a 4-1 lead. The Bobcats would follow with a service error, and the Cardinals went off on an 8-0 run that flipped the scoreboard and gave Wheeling a 9-4 lead. Bella DeBarr continued her success from the match against Point Park, knocking down two kills on the run, while four attack errors from the Bobcats fueled the run. However, the Bobcats came back with runs of 11-1 and 8-1 as they had the Cardinals on the ropes down 23-13 late in the set. A service error got the ball back to the Cardinals and they tried to battle back with a 4-0 run, fueled by two service aces from Faith Keifer, but the late deficit was too much for the Cardinals to overcome as they fell 25-16.
With the Cardinals down 1-0 in the match, things continued to go the Bobcat's way in set two as they built a 7-4 lead through the first 11 points. An attack error would get the ball back to the Cardinals, and they went off on a 6-1 run that put them out in front 10-8. However, Frostburg State would once again battle back to tie things at 14-14 and that tie stayed until the set sat at 17-17. The Bobcats momentarily got the lead back on a setting error, but DeBarr would knock down a kill that sent the Cardinals on a 5-0 run to build a 22-18 lead. Frostburg State would score three straight of their own, but a Kill by Josie Schroder and a service ace by Keifer set up set point. A setting error would bring the set to an end as the Cardinals picked up the 25-21 set two win and tied the match at 1-1.
The third set continued the set of runs, as Frostburg State jumped out to a quick 7-2 lead through the first nine points. They would go ahead 15-9 and looked to have a stranglehold on the set, but Katie Wilking knocked down a kill to get the Cardinal's back on track. It sent them on a 9-1 run, with Wilking knocking down three of the kills as Wheeling took an 18-16 lead. The teams would go back and forth down the stretch, and an kill by Frostburg State's Mya Johnson brought up set point. The Cardinals stayed alive thanks to a service error and a DeBarr kill, and the win-by-two scenario began. It would be the longest set of the season for the Cardinals, as things sat tied at 28-28. A service error would get Wheeling the ball back, and an attack error by the Bobcats gave the Cardinals the 30-28 set two win, and put them in the driver's seat with a 2-1 lead in the match.
The Cardinals were staked to a 2-1 lead and looked to end things in the fourth set as a service error by the Bobcats got them rolling. They would open the set on an 11-2 run as they created key separation early. Five different Cardinals knocked down kills during the run, with Cami Black and Camryn Matus each knocking down two on the run. They would extend that lead to as much as 17-5, with Aca Dickerson knocking down a kill to get that 17th point as the Bobcats tried to battle back. Wheeling would keep Frostburg State in the single digits until the score sat at 22-9. Frostburg State would get to within 22-12, an a service error followed by an attack error would make it a 24-12 set. Frostburg State would get two more points, but it would be a service error that gave Wheeling the 25-14 set win and the 3-1 win of the match.
Leading the way for the Cardinals was freshman Camryn Matus, who picked up the first triple-double in recent history for the Cardinals. She finished with 10 kills, 23 assists, and 10 digs, with the 23 assists and 10 digs both being new career highs. She was the only Cardinal to reach double-digit kills on the day as the team had nine different Cardinals pick up kills in the game. Cami Black would follow behind her with nine kills, while Katie Wilking added eight in the game. Mara McDougal would lead the back line effort, finishing with a career-high 28 digs, while Kendall Kupper added 21 digs on the day.
The Wheeling University Volleyball team returns to action on Friday, October 7th, when they host Salem with tip-off at 7 PM.
