Wheeling, W. Va. - With two weeks to go, the Wheeling University Volleyball Team (14-9, 8-4) continue their trek on the road in a special Monday night match-up. The Cardinals will travel to Frostburg State University as they continue their second run through the Mountain East Conference (MEC) North Division. Wheeling is looking for a bounce back after a tough five-set loss to Charleston, as they look to once again clinch their spot in the 2026 MEC Volleyball Tournament.
Last time out, the Cardinals would travel to the University of Charleston where they were locked in a five-set battle with Charleston. It was back and forth throughout the night, but it was the Cardinal's who got off to the strongest start in set one. They would hit .256 as a team in the set, and started things off with a 25-19 set one win to take a 1-0 lead. Charleston came back with a 25-13 win in set two, but the Cardinals would put together their best hitting percentage of the match in set three, hitting .273 on their way to a 25-13 set two win. The Cardinals would enter the fourth set with a 2-1 lead in the match, but the University of Charleston would be the one to close out the match. They took things to win-by-two-scenarios in both the fourth and fifth sets, but the Golden Eagles would walk away with wins of 26-24 and 16-14 as the Cardinals fell 3-2 to end the day.
Leading the effort for the Cardinals was freshman Ava Green, who set a new career-high in kills for the second match in a row. She would finish the night with 17 kills on 40 total attacks, hitting .300 on the night. As the season has gone on, Green has been a more and more integral part of the Cardinal offense, reaching the .300 hitting percentage for the second time in three matches. She has had double digit kills in back-to-back efforts, setting a new PR each time out. With four regular season games to go, Green sits second on the team, averaging 2.44 kills/set, while sitting fifth on the team with 105 kills. Green has been one of two freshmen regularly contributing to the Cardinal offense this season, and looks to continue being a big piece down the stretch.
She was set up throughout the day by Camryn Matus and Faith Keifer, who each finished with double-doubles on the day. Keifer continued a string of double-doubles, finishing with 18 assists and 20 digs on the day, while adding two service aces. It continues a string of success for the junior that has seen her finish with a double-double in four of her last five matches. The 20 digs were the most for Keifer during that stretch and she looks to continue that success down the stretch. Matus would lead the Cardinal passing game, finishing with 22 assists, while adding 14 digs. She was coming off her third career double-double on Tuesday and has been the offensive leader for the Cardinals this season, knocking down 231 kills and averaging 2.78 kills/set each as she continues to lead the Cardinals down the stretch.
As they enter the final two-week stretch, the Cardinals will be battling for both seeding and for their spot in the 2026 MEC Volleyball Tournament. Tuesday will mark the third straight match in which the Cardinals can clinch their playoff spot, with a win or Point Park loss securing their spot. While their tournament spot is a matter of when not if, their seeding is a completely different story. Wheeling currently sits tied for second in the MEC North Division with West Liberty, sitting at 8-4. With the two teams set to meet in the regular season finale, Wheeling will be looking to win out to secure the #2 spot in the standings, for the second year in a row. The Cardinals were the #2 seed in last year's postseason race and are looking to avenge a Quarterfinal Round loss from a season ago on their quest for a conference championship.
The Match-up
The Cardinals and Bobcats are meeting for the 18th time in program history on Monday night, with Wheeling winning each of the previous 17 meetings between the two teams. It will be the eighth trip for the Cardinals to Bobcat Arena, where they have gone 7-0 in previous meetings between the two teams. The Cardinals have won all but two sets in their history against the Bobcats, with their last set win coming back on October 7th.
The first meeting of the 2026 season came back on September 29, in a match that the Cardinals would sweep 3-0. Camryn Matus would lead the effort, finishing with 12 kills and 10 assists to pick-up the double-double. Faith Keifer led the passing game with 18 assists, while Mara McDougal rounded out the day with 19 digs on the back line.
The Details
First Serve for Monday night's match is scheduled for 7 PM inside Bobcat Arena on the campus of Frostburg State University. You can watch the game live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.
