Wheeling, W. Va. - After an electrifying win in front of the home crowd on Thursday night, the Wheeling University Volleyball team (2-7, 0-0) was back for more on Friday afternoon when they hosted Shippensburg. The Cardinals battled through the three set effort and earned their second sweep of the tournament as they took down the Raiders 3-0. Wheeling would hit .200 or better in each of the three sets as they set themselves up for a chance to sweep the tournament on Saturday.
Wheeling would start the day off with an Olivia Batch kill in set one, and the Cardinals went off on a 3-1 run to take the early advantage. The Raiders battled back to tie things up at 5-5 and, after running off five straight points, held a 10-6 lead in the early going. Wheeling would trail through the midway portion of the set, but slowly battled back before a kill by Cami Black made it a 14-14 set. The back and forth between the two teams continued until things were tied at 19-19 late in the set. Aleithia Wilson knocked down a kill to get Wheeling ahead, and they went on a 4-1 run that made it 23-20 in favor of the Cardinals. Shippensburg got to within one point of the Cardinals, before Cami Black set up set point at 24-22. Freshman Camryn Matus, who knocked down four kills in the set, used her fourth kill to secure the 25-22 set one win as the Cardinals took a 1-0 advantage.
In set two, it was the Raider's turn to jump on top, going on a 7-3 run to start the set. Wheeling had their backs against the wall, but once again fought their way back into the contest. An attack error got the ball back on Wheeling's side and Melia Gorrell would add a service ace that got the Cardinals off and running. It would be a 6-1 run for the Cardinals that created separation and Wheeling was holding a 10-8 lead. The Cardinals continued to spread the wealth throughout the set, with Olivia Batch, Matus, and Black all getting in on the action. The Cardinals built a 21-15 lead late and pushed the advantage on a Batch kill to 22-16. The Raiders would answer with two straight points before a service error brought the run to an end. Matus would set up set point with a kill and an attack error would serve as the final point of the night, with Wheeling taking the 25-18 set two win. They had a 2-0 advantage in the match and were looking to sweep the day for the second match in a row.
In the final set of the night, Wheeling would get out to a fast start with Matus knocking down the first kill of the day. Wheeling would go on a 6-3 run to start the day, but the Raiders would fight their way back. They tied things up at 10-10 before hitting a 4-1 run that gave them a 14-11 advantage. The third set would be a set of runs, with Wheeling and Shippensburg going back and forth. It would be the Raiders with the late 22-18 lead, but the Cardinals would turn to Matus to finish the night. She knocked down three straight kills to get the Cardinals to within 22-21, and added a fourth to bring the score to 23-22. Shippensburg would set up set point on a kill from Gracen Nutt, but Black scored the first of back-to-back points that forced a win-by-two scenario. Shippensburg would get the first point of extra time, but Black got the ball back to the Cardinals. They would pick up the final three points of the set, and Wheeling went on to win 27-25, picking up the 3-0 sweep.
Leading the way for the Cardinals was freshman Camryn Matus, who finished with a season-best 15 kills in the match. She was also the Cardinal's most efficient hitter of the day, finishing with a .652 hitting percentage as she helped the Cardinals secure the sweep. Cami Black would be the other Cardinal to finish with double-digit kills, picking up 11 kills and holding a .161 hitting percentage. Faith Keifer would lead the passing group, finishing with 25 assists, while Lexi Duplessis added 13 in the effort. On the back line, Kendall Kupper and Olivia Batch led the way with 15 digs each in the contest.
The Wheeling University Volleyball team returns for day three of the Wheeling Invitational on Saturday, September 20th, when they host CAL-U at 11 AM, followed by Clarion at 6 PM.
