Wheeling, W. Va. - After earning the Mountain East Conference (MEC) North Co-Championship and advancing to the MEC Volleyball Championships, the Wheeling University Volleyball team's postseason awards have begun. On Wednesday, the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) announced their annual All-Region teams, with two different Cardinals making the list. Freshman outside hitter Camryn Matus would earn AVCA All-Region honors, while junior Katie Wilking earned Honorable Mention All-Region honors.
The 2025 season saw the Cardinals continue their winning tradition after battling through a challenging non-conference schedule that saw them go 3-8 heading into their MEC schedule. They would start things off strong, winning each of their first four conference matches to build an early lead in conference play. After a non-conference weekend, the Cardinals returned to MEC play, dropping back-to-back matches to West Liberty and West Virginia Wesleyan to move to 4-2 in conference play. They bounced back with three conference wins over their final MEC South stretch, but a 3-1 loss to Fairmont State had them needing to win out to host the tournament. They added three more wins to their ledger, and entered the final regular season match-up with West Liberty needing a win to host. However, they would fall 3-2 and a 3-2 loss in the MEC Quarterfinals would bring their season to an end.
Leading the list of honorees was freshman Camryn Matus, who took home the first All-Region honors of her career. She was named the MEC's Freshman of the Year after putting together a strong season that saw her lead the Cardinals with 297 kills while averaging 2.75 kills/set. She would break out of her shell with a 13-kill effort against Gannon on September 18th and would never look back. She would rack up 18 double digit kill matches over the course of the season, and ranked seventh in the conference in kills during the season. Her biggest effort would come on October 7th when she recorded the team's first triple double in over a decade, finishing with 10 kills, 23 assists, and 10 digs in a 3-1 winning effort. She made her impact on the Cardinal's offense right from her freshman season and looks to continue her growth into the future.
Katie Wilking would round out the list of honorees, taking home her first career All-Region honor. Wilking was one of the most efficient hitters in the conference this season, sitting third in the MEC with a .325 hitting percentage. It was good for the top spot among Cardinal hitters as Wilking finished with a .300 or better hitting percentage in 15 matches during the season. Along with her offensive success, Wilking was also a force in the front row on defense, leading the Cardinals with 82.0 total blocks, 14 solo and 68 block assists. It was enough to have her finish 10th in the conference in total blocks and eighth in the conference in block assists to round out the year.
With Matus and Wilking taking home honors, the Wheeling University Athletic Department had their first two All-Region winners of the 2025-2026 season. Last season, the Cardinals had three All-Region honorees, with former Cardinals Karly Niesen, Riley Kindall, and Mady Winters all being honored. The 2025 season marks the 16th season in a row where the Cardinals have had at least two honorees on the AVCA All-Region list.
The Wheeling University Volleyball team continues their off-season run as they prepare for the 2026 season..
