Wheeling, W. Va. - With three weeks left in the regular season, the Wheeling University Volleyball team (14-9, 8-3) began their second trip through the Mountain East Conference (MEC) North Division on Tuesday. They traveled down to Fairmont, West Virginia for a meeting with MEC North leading Fairmont State and had four different players hit double digit kills on the night. In the end, it was not enough as the Cardinals fell 3-1 in four sets, dropping to 8-3 in the conference.
Each of the four sets on the night were decided by five-points or fewer as the two teams went back and forth throughout the night. In the first set, it would be the Cardinals who struck first, with freshmen Ava Green and Tatum Creps going back-to-back on kills to start the night. Fairmont State would answer and the Falcons took a two-point lead at 9-7 in the early going. Senior Katie Wilking got Wheeling going on their first big run of the night with a kill that sent the Cardinals on an 8-2 run. It gave Wheeling a 15-11 lead at the technical timeout, but Fairmont State would once again battle back. They scored four straight points coming out of the timeout, and put together a 12-3 run that flipped the scoreboard , giving the Falcons a 23-18 lead. Wilking would break the run with a kill and the teams would trade the final four points, but Fairmont State walked away with the 25-20 set one win.
With the Cardinals down 1-0, they would look to bounce back in set two , but fell behind 4-1 through the first five points. They would hold the lead at 9-6 through the first 15 points of the set, and it was once again Wilking that got things started. Wheeling would tie the score on a 4-1 run, but Fairmont State would get that lead back at 14-12 and by the media timeout it was a one-point set at 15-14. The Falcons would once again hold the set lead late at 20-17, before Ava Green sent the Cardinals on what would be the decisive 5-1 run. Green would knock down three kills, and added two blocks along the way as the Cardinals led 22-21. The set would stand tied at 23-23 before Camryn Matus brought up set point with a kill. It would be a Fairmont State attack error that served as the final set point and Wheeling would pick up the 25-23 set two win. With the match tied at one win a piece, the Cardinals would look to get the upper hand as the match moved to set three.
The third set would see the two teams go back and forth early, with Fairmont State holding a 12-9 lead 21 points in. Wheeling would hit the first run as Ava Green knocked down a kill that sent the Cardinals on a 7-1 run that put Wheeling in the driver's seat at 15-12. Fairmont State would end up tying the match at 20-20, before scoring the final five points of the set to earn the 25-20 set three win, taking a 2-1 lead. The fourth set had a similar feel, this time with Fairmont State holding a 9-8 lead. This time, it was Fairmont State who would hit the run, scoring four straight points as part of a 7-2 run that made it 16-11. Autumn King would get the Cardinals back on track with a kill, and they would come soaring back with six straight to tie things at 16-16. That tie would hold at 21-21 late in the set, but Fairmont State would once again be the one to close out the night, picking up the 25-21 set four win, as Wheeling fell 3-1.
As a team, the Cardinals would hit .232 on the night, with four Cardinals finishing with double digit kills. Leading the way was Camryn Matus, who picked up her second triple-double of the season, and third of her career with 14 kills, 24 assists, and 10 digs on the night. She would hit .231 on the night across 39 total attacks, as she continues to excel playing multiple positions for the Cardinals. Freshman Ava Green would match her mark, knocking down 14 kills to set a new career-high in the effort, while hitting .189. Katie Wilking and Autumn King would be the final two Cardinals to hit double digit kills on the night, finishing with 11 each in the effort. Faith Keifer would add a double-double of her own, finishing with 28 assists and 17 digs, while Mara McDougal led the defensive effort with 23 digs to round out the night.
The Wheeling University Volleyball team returns to action on Friday, October 23, when they travel to the University of Charleston with first serve at 7 PM.
