Wheeling, W. Va. – The Wheeling University Volleyball team (1-7, 0-0) opened the 2025 Wheeling Invitational against #22 Gannon University. It was an electric crowd Inside the Alma Grace McDonough Center and the Cardinals fed off that energy on their way to a 3-1 victory. The young Cardinal team picked up their first win of 2025 and look to ride that momentum through the rest of the tournament.
Wheeling fell behind early in the first set as Gannon went on a 7-3 run to start the match. An attack error temporarily stopped the Golden Knights run, but they would extend their lead to 11-7 as the set moved on. The Cardinals needed a spark and got one from Junior Katie Wilking, who knocked down her first kill of the night. It would send the Cardinals on a 4-1 Run in the set as they battled back to within one point at 12-10.. Wheeling would tie things up on a kill from freshman Camryn Matus that made it 13-13, but late in the set Gannon would still hold the advantage at 17-15. That is when Cami Black knocked down her second kill of the day and set the Cardinals on a 6-0 Run that gave them their first lead of the set at 21-17. Gannon continued to fight throughout the set, getting as close as 22-21 before the Cardinal setup set point On back-to-back kills by Olivia Batch. The Golden Knights would get to within one point of the Cardinals once again, but It would be Batch that finished The set with a kill and gave Wheeling the 25-23 win.
It was just The second time this season that the Cardinals took the first set of a match and they looked to carry the momentum into set two. Unfortunately it was a big early lead by Gannon that got things going and Wheeling was never able to recover. The golden knights jumped out to a 7-1 advantage and despite the Cardinals getting to within five points late in the set at 21-16, it wasn't enough as they fell 25-19. Dan would carry that momentum into set 3, scoring the first three points before Matus knocked down a kill to stop the run. It led Wheeling on a 5-1 run, with three different players picking up kills, as the Cardinals took a 5-4 advantage. It was the first of two big runs in the early going for Wheeling as they added a 6-1 run a little later and took a 12-7 advantage over the golden knights. That lead would hold up late in the set and after kills by both Wilking and Batch, The Cardinals held a 23-12 lead. Gannon would end up getting to the 15 point mark before an attack error ended the set at 25-15.
The Cardinals staked to a 2-1 lead, They would look to close things out on the fourth set and took their biggest lead early on of the day. After the score sat tied at 3-3, Black would send her team on an 8-1 run. Black would knock down three kills on the run and the Cardinals held a 10-4 advantage. That lead continued to grow for the Cardinals And by the midway point of the set Wheeling had A 17-9 lead. Kills by both Black and Wilking pushed the Cardinals lead to 22-14, but although Gannon was down They certainly were not out. The Golden Knights Put together a 5-1 run and got back to within 23-19 late in the set. Lexi Duplessis would dump over A kill to bring up match point, but four straight Golden knights points would bring the set score to 24-23. Wheeling needed a big kill and would get one from Duplessis to end the night. Wheeling would take a 25-23 set win and picked up their first win of the season. 3-1.
Leading the way for the Cardinals was Cami Black, who set a new career high with 17 kills on the night. She would finish the night with a .237 hitting percentage as she continues her strong start to the season. The Cardinals most efficient hitter on the day was Katie Wilking, I'm finished with a . 464 hitting percentage. Olivia Batch & Camryn Matus rounded out the double-digit kill crew, finishing with 14 and 13 kills respectively. Lexi Duplessis and Faith Keifer split the setter duties, finishing with 24 and 20 assists respectively, while the libero crew big game with Kendall Kupper leading the way with 19 digs, while Giana Mutersbaugh finished with 11.
The Wheeling University Volleyball team returns to action on Friday, September 19th, when they play day two of the Wheeling Invitational against Shippensburg, tip off at 3:30 PM.
