Wheeling, W. Va. - After listing the top 10 teams under consideration last week, the first official ranking of the NCAA DII Atlantic Region was announced on Wednesday afternoon. The Wheeling University Volleyball team would sit #8 in the inaugural standings, going 15-12 overall and 15-6 in Atlantic Region play through all games played by November 9th. The Cardinals were the second highest ranked Mountain East Conference (MEC) team on the list as they battle to get back to the NCAA DII Atlantic Regional Tournament in 2025.
It was a 2-0 week for the Cardinals a week ago as they tipped things off against Frostburg State on their home floor in what was a tightly contested match across all three sets. The Cardinals would finish with a .245 hitting percentage in the contest, with their most efficient set being set one as they hit .300 as a team. It was a set of runs, but in the end, the Cardinals would finish with a 25-20 win to get off to a 1-0 lead in the match. Set two would see the Cardinals build a 12-6 advantage on the scoreboard, but Frostburg State battled back to take a 21-16 lead late. The Cardinals would hit a run to finish things out, scoring eight straight points to bring up set point, before going on to win 25-23. In the final set, the Cardinals had their biggest margin of victory on the night, winning 25-17 to complete the sweep on the court.
With a win under their belts, the Cardinals would head to Pittsburgh to battle Point Park in their second match of the week. This time, it would be Point Park who came out hot, earning a 25-23 set one win to start the match. With the Cardinals down 1-0, their offense would flip the switch, putting up a .370 hitting percentage in the second set as they got out to an 8-2 lead. The lead would hold the rest of the way and Wheeling finished the set as 25-14 winners to tie the match at 1-1. After that, the Cardinal defense finished strong, only allowing Point Park to exceed the 15 point mark once over the final three sets. The Cardinal defense would keep the Pioneers in the red over the final two sets, with Point Park hitting -.121 in the third set and -.024 in the fourth set. The Cardinals would take advantage, picking up set wins of 25-12 and 25-18 the rest of the way as they earned the reverse sweep in the 3-1 win.
The front runner in the first Atlantic Regional Rankings is Gannon, who has hosted the regional in each of the last three seasons. The Golden Knights hold a 19-5 record in regional play and a 20-6 record against DII Competition. They are followed by Shippensburg in the #2 spot, sitting at 20-6 in the region, while IUP sits #3 at 17-6. The Cardinals are one of two MEC teams ranked in this week's poll, sitting behind Fairmont State, who holds the #6 seed in the field.
The Wheeling University Volleyball team returns to action on Friday, November 14th, when they battle West Liberty for the MEC North crown at 7 PM.
