Wheeling, W. Va. - After a Homecoming weekend that saw them go 2-0 on their home court, the Wheeling University Volleyball team (14-7, 8-2) is set to go on their biggest road trip of the year. They will play each of the next four matches on the road, with the run tipping off on Tuesday when the Cardinals travel to Fairmont State with first serve at 7 PM. Wheeling has a chance to officially clinch their spot in the Mountain East Conference (MEC) Volleyball Tournament with a win and a Point Park loss to Frostburg State.
The Cardinals wrapped up their Homecoming weekend on Saturday when they welcomed in Shawnee State for a special senior day match-up. After honoring their three seniors in a special pregame ceremony, the Cardinals would continue their efficient ways, hitting .327 in the three-set match-up, with two of those three sets seeing the Cardinals hit .300 or better. After a back-and-forth set one, the Cardinals would pull away late with a 4-1 run and went on to take the first set 25-22. It was the Cardinal server's that made the difference from their on out, combining for eight service aces on the day, with freshman Isabella Faro leading the way with five. Wheeling would not let the Bears eclipse the 20-point mark in either of the final two sets, taking them by scores of 25-14 and 25-18 to earn the 3-0 sweep and improve to 8-2 in conference play.
It was a pair of freshmen leading the way for the Cardinals with Tatum Creps and Ava Green tying for the team lead with nine kills each. Creps would be the most efficient of the two, not committing an attack error across 13 total attacks, and finishing with a .692 hitting percentage on the night. Creps has played a big role in the team's front line attack this season and, despite not getting a block on the day, she made her presence known on the front line. Green would equal her effort, and had an equally impressive hitting percentage, hitting .318 across 22 total attacks. The effort fell one kill short of her career high in kills and marked the fourth straight game that saw Green pick-up five or more kills, as she continues to provide a spark for the Cardinal offense.
Leading the offensive charge as of late has been Camryn Matus, who continues to rack up the double-doubles late in the season. While she did not record a double-double against Shawnee State, finishing with eight kills on 18 total attacks to finish with a .438 hitting percentage on the night. It marked the fourth straight match that Matus had a .300 hitting percentage or better with three of those four matches seeing her eclipse the .400 hitting percentage mark. During the run, she has raised her season hitting percentage to .295, ranking her eighth in the conference while sitting second in the MEC with 210 kills, just four behind Kailyn Connely for the conference lead. As they continue down this postseason stretch run, Matus looks to continue her success and be the offensive leader for the Cardinals as they push for the MEC playoffs.
As they enter the final three weeks of the season, Head Coach Christy Benner and her team once again have their sights set on an MEC Championships. After having a heavy home schedule to start the season, Wheeling will be road warriors over the final three weeks, with five of their final six matches coming away from the Alma Grace McDonough Center. The Cardinals can officially clinch their spot in the MEC Tournament with a win and a Point Park loss to Frostburg State on Tuesday night, but the team has much more in their sights beyond that. Tuesday will represent a chance for revenge for the Cardinals, after the team fell to the Falcons earlier this season. They will not only look to get that revenge, but solidify themselves in the MEC postseason for the 13th consecutive season.
The Match-up
The Cardinals and Falcons are meeting for the 65th time in program history on Tuesday, with Wheeling leading the all-time series at 50-14. When the Cardinals go on the road, they hold a 20-1 record, compared to a 25-6 mark when they host the match in the Alma Grace McDonough Center. Fairmont State has gotten the better of the Cardinals in each of the last two meetings, including taking the first meeting between the two teams this season.
That first meeting came back on September 22nd, 2026, in a match that Fairmont State would win 3-0 in the Alma Grace McDonough Center. Camryn Matus would lead the offense for the Cardinals with seven kills while Faith Keifer added 14 assists. Mara McDougal would lead the defensive effort, finishing with 18 digs to round out the effort.
The Details
First serve for Tuesday night's match is scheduled for 7 PM inside the Feaster Center 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.
