Wheeling, W. Va. - After battling through the 2025 Mountain East Conference (MEC) play, the time has come to tip-off the 2025 MEC Volleyball Championships at West Virginia Wesleyan in Buckhannon, West Virginia. The Wheeling University Volleyball team (16-13, 10-4) enter as the #3 seed from the MEC North Division, and will open tournament action with a Quarterfinal match-up with the University of Charleston on Thursday, November 20th, with tip-off at noon. The Cardinals have made it to the MEC Championship match every season since joining the conference in 2013, and are looking to continue that tradition in 2025.
The regular season came to an end last Friday with the Cardinals battling rival West Liberty in a five-set instant classic. It would be back and forth throughout set one, with West Liberty earning a 25-23 set win in the last few points. However, Wheeling was able to respond in set two, falling behind 8-6 early before battling back for a 24-22 set two win that tied the match at 1-1. In the crucial set three, the Cardinal defense would make their presence known holding the Hilltoppers to a -.152 hitting percentage in the set. The offense rose that success to a 25-9 set three victory and had West Liberty right where they wanted them with a 2-1 lead. Both teams had their best hitting performance in the fourth set, but West Liberty would out hit the Cardinals .455 to .278 and earned the 25-19 win. It forced a fifth and decisive set, and after going back and forth early, West Liberty would hit a 5-1 run late that gave them a 15-9 win. The Cardinals would drop the match 3-2 and fell to the #3 seed in the MEC North division entering the tournament.
Leading the way for the Cardinal offense was Katie Wilking, who put together the most efficient game for the team. She would knock down 14 kills on 27 total attacks to put together a .444 hitting percentage on the day. Wilking is riding a streak of success heading into the tournament, having hit .300 or better in four of her last five matches. The .444 mark on Friday was her best male yet during the run as she helped the Cardinals to two key wins in the second and third sets. She would also play big in the Cardinal blocking game, finishing with five block assists in the afternoon to pace the Cardinals effort. Wilking has been the Cardinal's most efficient hitter this season, putting together a .328 hitting percentage and ranking as the third most efficient hitter in the conference. She also ranks 10th in total blocks and fourth in the conference in kills with 245. She earned First Team All-MEC honors for her work on the court and looks to be a leader for this young Cardinal team as they begin their quest for a championship.
Leading the offensive effort against West Liberty was Bella DeBarr, who finished with 16 kills in the five-set effort. The sophomore would finish with her fifth .300 hitting percentage game or better on the season and her first since October 21st against Ursuline College. DeBarr has stepped up in a big way for the Cardinals this season, sitting fifth on the team with 149 kills. The effort helped her set her new career-high in kills and she looks to continue that success as she heads into tournament play. On the defensive side of the ball, Mara McDougal got her first start at the libero position and led the Cardinals on the court. She finished with 17 digs in the effort against West Liberty, hitting the double digit dig mark for the 14th time this season and put her just theee shy of her career high. It was her second double digit dig match over her last four and she will look to continue to impact the Cardinal back line as they begin their run in the MEC Tournament run.
After earning the #1 seed in the MEC Tournament, West Virginia Wesleyan earned hosting rights for the 2025 MEC Volleyball tournament. They will serve as the host site for this year's tournament, hosting for the first time in program history. Wheeling will enter as the #3 seed from the MEC North Division, and has a tough road ahead of them if they want to qualify for the 2025 MEC Volleyball Championship match. The Cardinals match-up with the #2 seed from the MEC South Division and will open up the tournament with the noon match on Thursday. Matching up on their side of the bracket is the #1 seed from the North West Liberty and the #4 seed from the South Concord. If the Cardinals win, they will play the winner of the match, having beaten Concord earlier in the season, and having fallen to West Liberty twice this year. The first day of the tournament will feature four matches, followed by the two semifinal matches on Friday, and the 2025 MEC Volleyball Championships being hosted on Saturday at 6 PM.
The Match-up
The Cardinals and Golden Eagles are meeting for the 48th time in program history, with Wheeling leading the all-time series at 32-15. It will be their 10th meeting in postseason play, with Wheeling leading that all-time series as well with a record of 7-3. The Cardinals are riding a back-to-back win streak against the Golden Eagles and have won four of the last five meetings between the two teams. During that stretch, the Golden Eagles have take at least one set twice as the team's battle in a rematch of last year's semifinal match.
The last meeting between the two teams came back on October 31st, 2025, in a match that the Cardinals would win 3-0. It would be Katie Wilking leading the effort for the Cardinals, finishing with 14 kills, while Camryn Matus followed behind her with 14. Megan Platt would lead the Cardinal defense with 21 digs in the effort, while Faith Keifer led the passing game with 19 assists.
The Details
Tip-off for Thursday's game is scheduled for noon inside the Rockefeller Center on the campus of West Virginia Wesleyan College. You can watch the match live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.
