Pensacola, FL. - It was the final day of the SpringHill Suites Invitational, hosted by the University of West Florida, on Saturday. The Wheeling University Volleyball team (0-4, 0-0) wrapped up the weekend with their toughest match facing #15 Southwest Minnesota State. The Cardinals improved the point turtle in each of the three sets, but were unable to overtake the Mustangs, filing 3-0 to round out the weekend.
Wheeling went right after their ranked opponent early in the first set as Bella DeBarr knocks down the first two Cardinal kills of the night. It gave the Cardinals a 2-1 lead early but it didn't take long for Southwest Minnesota state to show why they were ranked in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Preseason Poll. The Mustangs would hit a 9-0 run and scored 11 of the next 13 points to take a 12-3 lead as the Midway point of the set came near. A Camryn Matus kill and a southwest Minnesota state service error accounted for the only two Cardinal points during the tun as they would battle the rest of the way. It would end up being a big set for Debatt, knock down three of her six kills in the first set, as she led the offensive attack. Cami Black came alive in the second half of the set, knocking down two kills, while Matus added another kill on the run.
The Mustangs would take that first set by a score of 25-11 And it would end up being more of the same in set two. This time, Wheeling would take an early lead scoring the first point of the set on a kill by Black. This time, Southwest Minnesota state would hit an 11-2 run then open things up and made it in 11-3 set. A service error from the Mustangs served as a stumble on the Run, but they would push their lead 21-6 late in the second set. This is when the Cardinals got their first real run of the day as Black knocked down her Second kill of the set. It would start a 6-1 run for the Cardinals as they stayed alive. Black would knock down four kills in the set, three of those coming during the run as Wheeling made it a 21-11 score. An attack error would account for the final Cardinal point of the set as Southwest Minnesota state went on to win 25-1 and take a 2-0 lead in the match.
The final set would see the Cardinals biggest push of the day despite the Mustangs getting out to an 8-3 lead. Lainey Simmons would get the Cardinals back on track with a kill, starting a short 4-2 run that would help them chip away at the lead. They cut the advantage to 9-6, but Southwest Minnesota State continued to have the Cardinals on the ropes leading 22-14 late in the set. The Cardinals had one final push left in the tank as an attack error got them the ball back. Katie Wilking would follow by knocking down a kill and Mara McDougal came on for a service ace that made it a 22-17 set. The Cardinals would push it to a 5-1 run and nearly made it to the 20-point mark on their ranked team. However, it wasn't meant to be as a Mustang kill set up set point and Josie Pundt would end things with a kill that gave Southwest Minnesota State a 25-19 win and a 3-0 sweep of the set.
Leading the Cardinals for the fourth match in a row was Cami Black, who knocked down 11 kills on 29 total attacks for a .172 hitting percentage. Black's biggest run of the night came in set two, where she picked up four of those 11 kills to finish out a strong weekend. Bella DeBarr would finish behind her with six kills, three coming in the first set, while Lainey Simmons was the Cardinal's most efficient hitter knocking down two kills on four total attacks. Faith Keifer would lead the defensive effort with seven digs, while Lexi Duplessis led the passing game with 13 assists on the night.
The Wheeling University Volleyball team returns to action on Friday, September 12th, when they head to the Grand Valley State Invitational against Hillsdale, with tip-off at 10 AM.
