Wheeling, W. Va. - After a strong start to their Mountain East Conference (MEC) schedule on Friday, the Wheeling University Volleyball team (4-8, 1-0) kicks off their first round of divisional play on Tuesday. The Cardinals travel to Fairmont State on Tuesday evening, with tip-off scheduled for 7 PM as they play their first MEC North match of the season. The Cardinals started the season 1-0 in conference play for the first time since the 2022 season, and look to build off that success to close out September.
Last time out, the Cardinals were on the road against West Virginia State to start the MEC schedule, and picked up a 3-1 win. The Cardinals were looking to make a statement early and got out to a 16-12 lead early in set one. Wheeling continued to punish the ball, adding a 7-2 run to follow and they earned a 25-17 set one win. West Virginia State would get the point back in set two with a 25-19 win, bringing things to a crucial third set. It was tight throughout, but a 5-1 swing at the end of that third set was enough to give the Cardinals a 25-20 win and a 2-1 lead in the match. After getting out to a 6-0 lead in set four, West Virginia State would not make things easy, getting back tied at 10-10. That tie remained until the score sat at 20-20 late in the set, and the Yellow Jackets had the Cardinals on the ropes at 24-21. The Cardinals forced the win-by-two scenario and would knock down the final three points as they earned the 27-25 set win, and a 3-1 win of the match.
Leading the way for the Cardinals was junior Cami Black, who continued her strong junior season. She would set a new career-high by knocking down 18 kills on 52 total attacks, while holding a .250 hitting percentage on the day. For Black, it was the fifth time in 12 matches that she has reached at least the 15 kill mark, and the ninth time that she has gotten into double digits. Along with her work on the offensive side of the ball, Black was also a strong shooter on defense, adding three digs and two block assists to keep the Yellow Jackets off the board. Black was rewarded for her efforts, being named the MEC's Volleyball Offensive Player of the Week, and she looks to keep that momentum going into the rest of the conference schedule.
The other Cardinal to earn Player of the Week honors was Kendall Kupper, who was named the MEC's Volleyball Defensive Player of the Week. Kupper also had a career day on the court, picking up 34 digs in the 3-1 win over the Yellow Jackets. Since taking over as one of the team's two liberos against Gannon, Kupper has had her way on the back line, averaging 22.4 digs/match during that span. After earning Player of the Week honors a week ago, Camryn Matus continued her strong showing on offense, knocking down 15 kills in the effort. She would finish with a .208 hitting percentage on the day and, like Black, got in on the team's blocking effort as well with three block assists and a solo block in the winning effort.
Tuesday marks the first of two rounds of MEC North Division play as the Cardinals take on three straight divisional opponents over the next week and a half. The Cardinals will see Fairmont State, Point Park, and Frostburg State to start the Divisional stretch, with two of those three matches coming on the road. The Cardinals have been road warriors through the early portion of the season, playing eight of their first 12 matches away from the Alma Grace McDonough Center going 1-2 in the three official away matches. The Cardinals will be facing a Falcons team that they got to see play at their annual Wheeling Invitational as the two teams battle for the first time in 2025. The Cardinals look to keep their momentum going as they battle to bring the MEC Tournament back to Wheeling in 2025.
The Matchup
The Cardinals and Falcons are meeting for the 62nd time in program history on Tuesday night, with Wheeling leading the all-time series at 49-12. The Cardinals hold a 19-1 record all-time at the Joe Retton Arena, and have won every meeting against the Falcons since the 2020 season. It was in that year that the Falcons ended the Cardinal's historic 215-match win streak in MEC play, with seven of the 10 matches since then being decided in three sets.
Their last meeting came on October 29th, 2024, in a match that the Cardinals would win 3-0 in Fairmont, West Virginia. Former Cardinal Riley Kindall led the way for the Cardinals, knocking down a team-high 14 kills while also leading the defense with 22 digs. Katie Wilking would add 10 kills in the effort while former Cardinal Karly Niesen rounded out the day with 40 assists.
The Details
Tip-off for Tuesday night's match is scheduled for 7 PM inside the Joe Retton Arena on the campus of Fairmont State University. You can watch the match live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.
