Wheeling, W. Va. - Over the last week and a half, the Wheeling University Volleyball team (7-8, 4-0) has been battling through the Mountain East Conference (MEC) North portion of their schedule. On Friday, the team takes a break and jumps into non-conference play with a double dose of matches this weekend. The Cardinals start things off at home on Friday with a non-conference battle against Salem at 7 PM, before hitting the road on Saturday for a late afternoon match against Ohio Dominican at 4 PM.
Last time out, the Cardinals traveled to Frostburg State as they continued MEC North play against Frostburg State. Frostburg State would get an early point after taking a 25-16 set one win, but after that the Cardinals would find their groove. In set two, the Cardinals were once again trailing late, but a 5-0 run would create the separation they needed as they went on to win the set 25-21. It came down to a crucial set three with the match tied at 1-1 and the two teams headed into a win-by-two scenario. It would be the Cardinals that came out on top 30-28 and took a big 2-1 lead in the match. With the momentum on their side, Wheeling jumped out to a 14-9 set four lead and it was enough to carry them to a 25-14 set four win and a 3-1 win in the match.
Leading the way for the Cardinals was freshman Camryn Matus, who recorded the first triple-double in recent history in the victory. Matus would lead the team with 10 kills and 23 assists, while adding a career-high 10 digs on the back line to round out her day. Matus has been playing all over the court for the Cardinals this season but has been leading the drive on offense. She has picked up double digit kills in seven of the last eight matches, averaging 13.625 kills/set during that span. She has hit .300 or better in three of those eight matchups, including a season-high .652 hitting percentage in a 15-kill effort against Shippensburg University. She looks to continue her success on the floor as the Cardinals push for a spot in the MEC Tournament.
On the back line, the Cardinals were led by freshman Mara McDougal, who continued her strong run of defense. She tied her career-high with 28 digs in the effort, while averaging 7.0 Digs/Set in the winning effort. It was the second time in four matches that McDougal has reached the 20 dig mark, and she has picked up double digit digs in each of the last four matches. Rounding out the effort was Faith Keifer, who finished with 18 assists and three service aces this season. Her specialty has been her work in the server's box, where she leads the team with 17 service aces this season. It is good enough to place her in the top 10 of the conference, sitting ninth, while her 309 assists puts her seventh in the conference.
With the first four matches of conference play in the books, the Cardinals will use this weekend to clean up some things on the court. So far during their non-conference run, the Cardinals have gone 3-8 and look to improve upon that number this weekend. The Cardinals are in the middle of a stretch that sees them play three of their next four matches on the road, including their Saturday match-up against Ohio Dominican. The Cardinals are 3-2 through their first five road games of the season, and have won three straight on the road. Coming off a successful weekend against Point Park to start Homecoming and Family Weekend, the Cardinals look to keep the momentum rolling as they continue through their October schedule.
The Matchups
Salem: The Cardinals and Tigers are meeting for the 21st time in program history with Wheeling leading the all-time match-up at 20-0. It is the 10th time that the Tigers have come to the Alma Grace McDonough Center, with Wheeling going 9-0 compared to a 7-0 record at Salem University. The Cardinals have won every set in the all-time match-up and look to continue their success on Friday. Their last meeting came on November 12th, 2024, in a match that Wheeling won 3-0 in the Alma Grace McDonough Center. Cami Black would lead the Caridnals with 11 digs, while former Cardinal Chylyn Pate added 11 digs on the back line.
Ohio Dominican: The Cardinals and Panthers are meeting for the sixth time in program history, with Wheeling leading the all-time matchup at 5-0. It is the fourth trip inside the Alma Grace McDonough, where the Cardinals are 3-0 compared to a 1-0 record when they hit the road. The Cardinals have earned a sweep in three of the five match-ups, including two of the last three. Their last meeting came on October 26th, 2024, in a match that the Cardinals won 3-0. Former Cardinal Riley Kindall led the way with 15 kills in the effort while former Cardinal Karly Niesen added 12 digs.
The Details
Tip-off for Friday night's weekend opening match-up is scheduled for 7 PM inside the Alma Grace McDonough Center. You can watch the game live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live stats by clicking HERE.
