Wheeling, W. Va. - As they enter the final week of the regular season, the Wheeling University Volleyball team (15-12, 10-3) plays for the final time on the road on Tuesday. It will be their non-conference finale as they take on Salem with first serve scheduled for 7 PM. The Cardinals will look to keep momentum on their side with a big match against West Liberty coming up on Friday with MEC Tournament implications on the line.
Last time out, the Cardinals made the trip over to the Steel City to take on Point Park in what was a four-set battle. Point Park's defense came out strong, holding Wheeling to a .080 hitting percentage in the set, and the Cardinals would fall 25-23 to go down 1-0. After that, the Cardinal hitters got going, putting together their most efficient set of the day in set two with a .370 hitting percentage. They would win the set 25-14, and never allowed the Pioneers to get over the 20-point mark the rest of the match. They would pick up wins of 25-12 and 25-18 to close out the night as they went on to win 3-1. It moved the Cardinals to 10-3 in the conference, and allowed them to hold their spot on top of the MEC North Division standings.
Leading the way for the Cardinal offense was Camryn Matus, who finished with a team-best 13 kills on the night. She finished with a .290 hitting percentage and added seven digs to round a strong week for the freshman. It was part of a big week for the Cardinal outside hitter, who finished with 24 kills during the week and finished with a .259 hitting percentage for the week. She is riding a string of seven straight double-digit kill efforts where she has hit .200 or better in six of those seven matches. Her top match during the stretch came against the University of Charleston, where she knocked down 11 kills and held a .429 hitting percentage. She will be a key piece for the Cardinals success as they head down the stretch towards the MEC Tournament.
On the defensive end, freshman Megan Platt has been the leader and put together her best performance of the season. She would set a career-high with 26 digs in the effort, beating her old PR by five digs. Platt has reached the 20-dig mark in four of her last five matches with the Cardinals and has stepped up as the team's libero down the stretch. Wheeling's most efficient hitter against the Pioneers was Katie Wilking, who finished with 12 kills and a .333 hitting percentage on the day. Wilking has helped lead the Cardinals to the postseason in each of her first two seasons and will be the most veteran player on this year's postseason run. She leads the defensive effort with 72.0 blocks this season, while sitting second on the team with 238 kills.
While Tuesday's match doesn't mean anything in terms of conference standings, the Cardinals will be watching some key match-ups around the conference that will all have playoff implications. Charleston will battle Glenville State in Charleston, West Virginia, West Liberty plays host to Frostburg State, and West Virginia Wesleyan will host West Virginia State. All three matches could effect who hosts the 2025 MEC Volleyball Tournament, with the Cardinals holding strong in the top spot. If the Cardinals are able to win out, they will host the tournament for the first time since the 2019 season. It will all come down to the final day of the regular season, setting up an exciting postseason run.
The Match-up
The Cardinals and Tigers are meeting for the 22nd time in program history, with Wheeling leading the all-time series at 21-0. It will be Wheeling's eighth trip to Salem, West Virginia, where the Cardinals are 7-0 all-time compared to a 10-0 mark when they are hosting the match. The Cardinals have won all but two sets in the all-time series, with only one five-set match in the all-time series.
Their first meeting of the season came back on October 10th in a match that the Cardinals would win 3-0. Leading the way for the Cardinals was Bella DeBarr, who finished with 10 kills and seven digs in the effort. The defensive unit was led by Kendall Kupper, who added a team-high 18 digs, while Lexi Duplessis finished with 27 assists to round out the day.
The Details
First serve for Tuesday's match is scheduled for 7 PM inside the T. Edward Davis Gymnasium. You can watch the game live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.
