Wheeling, W. Va. - After playing through three weeks of non-conference action, the 2025 Mountain East Conference (MEC) schedule kicked off for the Wheeling University Volleyball team (4-8, 1-0). The Cardinals traveled to Institute, West Virginia for a rematch of the past three MEC Championship matches, and Wheeling would come out on top with a 3-1 win. They started conference play 1-0 for the first time since the 2022 season, and look to ride that momentum into their conference stretch.
Wheeling would get out in front early, taking the first two points of set one, but West Virginia State answered right back tying the set at 4-4. A service error got the ball back to the Cardinals, and they rode a 5-1 run to create some separation and take a 9-5 lead. Cami Black fueled the charge, knocking down three kills on the run, and she came back with two more on a short 4-1 run. The Cardinals were ahead 13-8 as they reached the mid point of the set. That lead remained at 16-2, but it was the set of runs for the Cardinals, this time hitting a 7-2 swing that got them to 23-14. The Yellow Jackets stayed alive with three straight points to get to within 23-17, but Black shut down the comeback attempt with a kill to set up set point. An attack error would end the set, and Wheeling rolled their way to a 25-17 set one win and a 1-0 lead in the match.
In set two, the tables would be turned as the Yellow Jackets started hot, scoring five of the first six points. Camryn Matus would temporarily stop the run with a kill and slowly helped the Cardinals claw back to within 6-4. This time, it would be West Virginia State who hit the runs, going on runs of 5-1, 4-1, and 5-1 to set up set point at 24-17. A Lexis Duplessis kill kept the Cardinals alive, but two points later, West Virginia State's Emma Pomaret knocked down a kill that gave her team a 25-19 set two win. With the match tied at 1-1, the Cardinals looked to swing momentum in the third set, and did just that going on a 5-2 run to start things off. Matus and Black continued their big days, each knocking down a kill on the run, but the Yellow Jackets battled back to within one point at 8-7. That back and forth continued into the midway point of the set, as Wheeling held a 15-14 advantage after a kill from the Yellow Jacket's Carmen Perez.
The Cardinals would look to hit another run and found it as Katie Wilking knocked down a kill to get them going. It sparked Wheeling to a 5-1 swing and had them in the driver's seat late in the set. However, West Virginia State stayed alive despite kills from Matus and Aleithia Wilson, and the score sat at 22-19 late in the set. Wheeling took advantage of a couple of Yellow Jacket errors to claim set point and, after a kill from West Virginia State's Alyssa Hill, a Yellow Jacket service error would end the set at 25-20. Wheeling had a 2-1 lead heading into the fourth set, but the defending MEC Champions were not set to go down without a fight. Cami Black got things started with a kill as the Cardinals went on a 6-0 run to start the set, but West Virginia State answered with 10 of the next 14 points and made it a 10-10 set.
The back and forth would continue throughout the set, with neither team having more than a one-point advantage until late in the set. The score sat tied at 20-20, but a setter error and a kill by Hill had the Yellow Jackets out in front 22-20. An attack error temporarily got the Cardinals back, but an attack error and a service ace for the Yellow Jackets made it 24-21. The Cardinals turned to their freshman Wilson, and she knocked down back-to-back kills to tie the set at 24-23. The Yellow Jackets would call a timeout, but the Cardinals wouldn't be stopped as they hit two more points to force a win-by-two scenario, and take a 25-24 lead in the set. West Virginia State's Carmen Perez tied the game with a kill, but Matus and Batch would finish things off with back-to-back kills and Wheeling walked away with the 27-25 set win. The Cardinals took their conference opener in four sets from the Yellow Jackets and look to continue that success into conference play.
Junior Cami Black would continue her strong start to the 2025 season, finishing with 14 kills on 40 total attacks for a .250 hitting percentage. It was the ninth time in 12 matches that Black has hit the double-digit kill mark as she continues to lead the offensive side of the ball. Two other Cardinals finished with double-digit kills on the day, with Camryn Matus (13) and Katie Wilking (10) hitting the mark. Mara McDougal was the Cardinal's most efficient hitter, knocking down three kills on seven total attacks (.429), while Faith Keifer (24) and Lexi Duplessis (19) each hit double-digit assists. On the back line, Kendall Kupper led the way with 24 digs, while Olivia Batch (12) and Megan Platt (10) each would finish with double digit digs on the night.
The Wheeling University Volleyball team returns to action on Tuesday, September 30th, when they hit the road to face Fairmont State with tip-off at 7 PM.
