Wheeling, W. Va. – After being on the road for the weekend, the Wheeling University Volleyball team (12-7, 6-2) was back home inside the Alma Grace McDonough Center for their Down Syndrome Awareness match. Wheeling would host Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) and, after a hot start, would have to battle through five sets on the night. In the end, it was the Crimson Hawks who won the night with Wheeling falling 3-2.
Coming off the heels of a sweep of Glenville State on Saturday, Wheeling kept that momentum going in set one, With the defense holding IUP to a -0.095 hitting percentage in the set. The front row block would be a big part of their game in that opening set, with Wheeling picking up three in the first 10 points as they took a 10-4 lead early on. It would be a set of runs for the Cardinals as they answered with another 8-1 swing in the middle portion of the set to bring the score to 18-7 late.
Katie Wilking and
Tatum Creps would each pickup kills during the run while being a part of the strong defensive effort. Once the Cardinals got within striking distance, it was
Camryn Matus who helped them put the set away with three straight kills making it a 23-12 score. The Crimson Hawks would answer with two straight points, but the Cardinal Frontline finished the night out with a Creps/Wilking block assist bringing up set point before an IUP attack error brought the set to its final score of 25-14.
Wheeling was riding the success of their first set, but the Crimson Hawks were not ready to fold just yet. IUP would score the first four points of set two, before Wheeling answered with a run of their own scoring, six of the next seven points to take a 6-5 advantage. Matus knocked down two kills during the Run while the Cardinal front line continued to force Crimson hawk attack errors.
Bella DeBarr would get things going, knocking down two kills to give Wheeling their biggest lead at 10-6, but by the media timeout that lead was shrank to one at 15-14. The two teams would go punch for punch before suddenly the score sat tied at 20-20 late in the set. IUP was the first to get the momentum, With a short 4-1 run, making it 23-21 before a Sammy Stephens kill brought up set point for the Crimson Hawks at 24-22. Wheeling would knock down the next two points to force a win by two scenario, and it was once again Matus who would help seal the deal. She knocked down the kill that gave Wheeling the advantage before an IUP attack error gave Wheeling the 26-24 set two win.
With a 2-0 lead on their side, the Cardinals were looking to close things out in three sets and earn themselves a big win in the Atlantic Regional rankings. However, IUP would show why they are so highly regarded in the region. They would once again take an early lead in set three, scoring the first three points before jumping out to a 7-5 advantage. Just like set two, set three would be back and forth with the lead changing hands five times during the set before the scores sat at 23-23 late. Just as it looked like the teams would go to another win by two scenario, IwUP would finish things off with back-to-back kills from Jessica Neiman as they took the 25-23 set three win. The momentum began to shift in set four, as the Crimson Hawks were once again out to an early lead, this time of 14-8 advantage. IUP would bring up set point at 24-15, but a block assist by Wilking and
Carmen Muzingo kept Wheeling alive. The Cardinals would score back-to-back points but IUP would end up taking the scent 25-18 to force a deciding set five.
Just as they had and sets three and four, IUP scored the first three points of the set before Wheeling got a spark for freshman
Ava Green. She would knock down her first kill to make it a 4-2 set, and ended up getting kills on three of the next five points to bring the score to 5-4. With the match hanging in the balance, it was the Crimson Hawks that would end up taking the advantage, going on a 9-1 run that brought up match point at 14-6. A pair of crimson hawk attack errors would keep Wheeling alive for two more points, but it was Neiman that would bring the match to an end with a kill as IUP won 15-8, And completed the reverse sweep to take a 3-2 victory. It was the first time that Wheeling has lost a five set match this season as they battled against one of the toughest teams in the Atlantic region.
Leading the effort for the Cardinals was sophomore
Camryn Matus, who picked up her second straight Double-Double finishing with 11 Kills at 11 assists. She was able to continue her streak of efficient hitting, putting together a tteam-best.348 hitting percentage while continuing to switch as both an attacker and a Setter for the Cardinals. For setting partner
Faith Keifer would lead the passing game with 23 assists, while
Aleithia Wilson would finish right behind Matus with eight kills. Keifer would be the second Cardinal to finish with a double double on the night, leading the defense with 13. Digs, while
Mara McDougal Added 12 to round out the night.
The Wheeling University Volleyball team returns to action on Friday, October 16, When they take on Concord with first serve at 6 PM
