Wheeling, W. Va. – On Wednesday, the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) recognized the top volleyball programs in the country with their preseason top 25. After making the NCAA Atlantic Regional Tournament Championship match last season, the Wheeling Volleyball team found themselves honored. They finished just outside the top 25, being listed as one of 20 teams to earn votes on two or more ballots, getting 49 points from the voting committee.
The Cardinals enter the 2025 season with a young core taking the lead. Wheeling graduated 10 athletes in the spring and brought in a class of 10 freshmen and transfers looking to take their place. Wheeling is coming off a season that saw them go 27-11 overall and 12-2 in Mountain East Conference (MEC) play. The Cardinals would earn the #1 seed in the MEC North Division and after back-to-back sweeps would take on West Virginia State in the MEC Championship match. The Cardinals would end up falling 3-1 in four sets, but earned the #3 seed in the NCAA Atlantic Regional Championships. They battled Pitt-Johnstown and IUP in the first two rounds and advanced to the Regional Championship match. They would take the first set of that match from Gannon, but in the end they fell 3-1, bringing their season to an end.
The Cardinals return two of their five All-MEC honorees from a season ago, led by Second Team All-MEC Middle Hitter Katie Wilking. Wilking was the Cardinal's second leading attacker during the 2025 season, finishing second on the team with both 324 kills and a .387 hitting percentage. While she was a strong swinger for the Cardinals, her defense in the middle of the net also stood out as she sat second on the team with 82.0 total blocks. Joining her will be sophomore Olivia Batch, who is coming off a season in which she was named the MEC's Freshman of the Year. Batch would finish the season with 179 kills and a .213 hitting percentage, while adding 217 digs. She will be looked at as a six-rotation player in 2025 as she continues to grow on the outside.
Wheeling was the only team from the Mountain East Conference (MEC) to receive votes in the national poll, and was one of just two Atlantic Region teams to be named to the list. Gannon, the team that knocked the Cardinals out in the Atlantic Regional Championship round last season, were the other team featured on the list, earning the #19 spot. I heir first two weekends of the season, four of their seven opponents were featured on the list, including #14 Grand Valley State, and #15 Southwest Minnesota State. The Cardinals were picked as the #1 team in the MEC North Division in the 2025 MEC Preseason Volleyball Poll, after finishing as conference runners-up last season.
The Wheeling University Volleyball Team kicks off the 2025 season on Thursday, September 4th, when they take on Northern Michigan in game one of the West Floirda Tournament with tip-off at 5:30 PM.
