Allendale, MI. - The non-conference tournament season continued for the Wheeling University Volleyball team (0-6, 0-0) on Friday as they took the trip to Allendale, Michigan. The Cardinals played a doubleheader on day one of the Grand Valley State Tournament, but dropped both halves of the doubleheader. Wheeling battled Hillsdale College in the morning match and #13 Grand Valley State in the nightcap, but fell in both contests by 3-0 scores.
Match One: Hillsdale 3, Wheeling 0
The Cardinals kicked off their Friday doubleheader against Hillsdale College from the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (GMAC) in the morning match-up. The teams would trade the first two points of the opening set, with Katie Wilking knocking down the first kill, but Hillsdale took the early lead. They got out to a 7-2 advantage over the first nine points and Wheeling would slowly work their way back into the set. Olivia Batch would help get the Cardinals back in it, knocking down a combined three kills as part of a 7-4 run for the Cardinals that made it an 11-9 score. However, a 5-0 Hillsdale run created distance between the two teams and late in the set the score sat at 21-15 in favor of the Chargers. Black and Wilking kept the Cardinals in it leading a short 3-1 run, but Hillsdale would set up set point at 24-19. Wilking knocked down one more kill, but in the end the Cardinals fell 25-20 as Hillsdale took an early 1-0 lead.
Wilking continued her momentum from set one into set two, knocking down a kill for the first point as the Cardinals took a 3-1 advantage. Hillsdale battled back to tie things at 4-4, but the Cardinals would not back down as a service error got them in the driver's seat. Black would pick up the next four Cardinal points as she single-handedly led the team on a 5-2 run that gave them a 9-6 advantage. The Chargers would work their way back into the set once again, tying the score at 13-13, but another Cardinal run once again created separation. This time, it was Wilking who knocked down the first kill and the Cardinals went off on a 4-2 run that gave Wheeling a 17-15 advantage. It was the third time the Cardinals led in the set, but the Chargers charged late, going on a 6-1 run that brought up set point at 24-19. Wheeling was nearly able to fight back with a 3-0 run, two of those scored by Black, but a kill by Hillsdale's Josie TeSlaa would close things out at 25-22.
With the Cardinals trailing 2-0 in the match, the young team would look to make a push in the third set to stay alive. It was an even set early, with the two teams sitting tied at 3-3, but Hillsdale made the first push taking a 7-4 lead. Three different Cardinals would record kills over the next eight points and Wheeling was right back in it making it a 10-9 set in favor of Hillsdale. However, for every answer Wheeling had, Hillsdale would come back and a 6-2 midset run created some separation with the score sitting at 18-12. Black would start the run and the teams would trade the next five points with Black, Wilking, and Camryn Matus each recording kills to make it 20-15. However, thats as close as Wheeling would get as Hillsdale knocked down the final five points of the set and a Jenna Southland kill would end things at 25-15, giving Hillsdale the 3-0 win.
Leading the way for the fifth time this season was junior Cami Black, who finished with 13 kills and a .263 hitting percentage on the day. It was the fourth time in five matches that she hit the double digit mark and she added six digs on the back line to round out her day. Finishing behind her was Olivia Batch and Katie Wilking, who had nine and seven kills respectively, while Lexi Duplessis (18) and Faith Keifer (17) each hit double digit assists. Megan Platt continued her strong play on the backline, digging out 17 balls and being the only Cardinal to reach the double-digit dig mark. Wheeling would look to bounce back as they headed into the night cap against a ranked Grand Valley State opponent.
Match 2: #13 Grand Valley State 3, Wheeling 0
After falling in the morning match, Wheeling would look to bounce back against the host #13 Grand Valley State in the nightcap. After the Lakers knocked down the first two points of the set, a pair of Grand Valley State attack errors tied things up at 3-3. Wheeling would stay right with the Lakers early, with Cami Black, Alethia Wilson, and Olivia Batch each picked up kills in the early going and they trailed 7-6 through the first 13 points. Grand Valley State would break things open with an 8-0 run that made it a 15-7 set at the midway point. Wheeling's young team would battle the rest of the way with freshmen Camryn Matus and Sophia Barber each knocking down kills. An attack error from Grand Valley State would get them over the 10-point mark, but the Lakers took the first set 25-11 to take a 1-0 advantage.
In set two, Grand Valley State would keep the momentum going, taking a 3-1 lead through the first four points of the set. Wheeling would take advantage of some Laker errors in the early going, getting four points off both attack and service errors before Black knocked down the first Cardinal kill of the set to make it 6-5. Wheeling would spread the ball around throughout the set as Faith Keifer and Wilking would each add kills, but Grand Valley State extended their advantage to 16-9. Wilking knocked down her second kill to make it a 17-11 set, before the Lakers went on a 7-0 run that brought up set point at 24-11. Lainey Simmons would keep the Cardinals alive with a kill, but it was too little too late as Grand Valley State's Grace Busold knocked down the final kill and the Lakers took the set 25-12. The Cardinals once again found themselves trailing 2-0 and they looked to stay alive in the match.
Wilking and Black would get the third set started with each picking up a kill, and the Cardinals sat tied at 3-3 early. As they had in the first two sets of the night, Grand Valley State would hit a run, this time a 5-0 run that pushed the advantage to 8-3. A service error from the Lakers temporarily stopped the push, and Wilking knocked down back-to-back kills, and Wheeling was within three points at 9-6. Wheeling kept the deficit close throughout the set, with Black knocking down four kills, and Wheeling stayed in the set at 16-12. It was a late 6-0 run by the Lakers that made it a 22-12 set and Wheeling trailed 23-13 late in the set. An attack error gave the Cardinals the ball back and they took advantage with a 4-0 run. Wilking and Lexi Duplessis each picked up kills on the run and Wheeling made it a 23-17 set. Grand Valley State would knock down the final two points, taking the set 25-17 and falling 3-0 to end the day.
The offensive effort was led by the combination of Cami Black and Katie Wilking, who each knocked down seven kills on the day. Wilking was the most efficient Cardinal hitter on the day, with a .278 hitting percentage, while Black finished with the most total attacks with 20. Lexi Duplessis led the team with 13 assists on the night, while also knocking down a kill and holding a .333 hitting percentage. Megan Platt was the only Cardinal to reach double-digit digs, finishing with 10 to lead the Cardinal backline.
The Wheeling University Volleyball team wraps up the Grand Valley State Invitational on Saturday, September 13th, when they take on Tiffin at 11 AM.
