Frostburg, MD. - Entering play on Monday night, a win was all that the Wheeling University Volleyball team (15-10, 9-4) needed to secure their spot in the 2026 Mountain East Conference (MEC) Volleyball championships. They would continue their current four-match road trip with a bus ride to Frostburg, Maryland, where the Cardinals met Frostburg State for the second time this season. Wheeling was not only able to clinch their playoff spot, but did it in style, earning a 3-0 win over the Bobcats.
Frostburg State would get things started with back-to-back kills to start set one, but it was the Cardinals who would end up taking control.
Josie Schroder got Wheeling on the board with a kill, sending the team on a 5-1 run to get their first set lead of the night. Frostburg State would end up taking that lead right back thanks to an 8-2 swing of their own, and would hold a 13-10 lead as the set creeped toward the media timeout.
Autumn King would be the rally stopper with a kill, and it was the Cardinal's turn to hit a run that flipped the scoreboard for the fourth time in the set. Wheeling would end up scoring nine straight points, with King, Schroder, and
Katie Wilking each registering kills along the way as the Cardinals took a 19-13 lead late. The Bobcats continued to fight, getting as close as 22-20, before a
Bella DeBarr kill, and a Frostburg setting error brought up set point. IT would be
Camryn Matus who brought the set to an end with her fourth kill of the set to give Wheeling the 25-20 set one win.
Wheeling had the 1-0 lead on their side, but were not ready to sit back on their heels. Freshman
Ava Green would get the second set started with a kill, and the teams would end up trading the first 15 points of the set. The Cardinals would hold the 8-7 lead before Schroder got them started on a run again with a kill. It sent Wheeling on an 8-1 run that put them in control of the set at 16-8 late in the set. Green would keep her big set going, adding two kills during the run, while Schroder added two of her own. It would be back and forth late in the set, and a late 3-1 run would make things a 23-19 score late in the set.
Aleithia Wilson would be the one to bring up set point with a kill and
Faith Keifer would end things with a service ace and the Cardinals took the set 25-19. It gave the Cardinals a 2-0 lead and they looked to finish off the sweep to get back in the win column.
Set three saw the Cardinals get off to their hottest start of the night, with Schroder once again getting things started with a kill. Green would add two kills of her own and the Cardinals got off to a 7-2 lead through the first nine points of the set. It would be Green once again who helped the cardinals pull away, knocking down a kill that opened a 4-0 run, extending the Cardinal lead to 11-4. It was the first of two more Cardinal runs in the set, but every time the Cardinals took off, Frostburg State had an answer. With Wheeling leading 20-13 late in the set, Frostburg State's Gabrielle Morris knocked down a kill that started a 4-1 run and made it 21-17 Cardinals. However, it would be Wheeling that got the last run, scoring the final four points to win the set.
Aleithia Wilson would start the run with a kill and a setting error for Frostburg State closed out the 25-17 set three win and the 3-0 sweep.
Leading the effort for the Cardinals once again was
Ava Green, who marked her third straight double digit kill effort. She finished with 10 kills on the night, putting together a .179 hitting percentage, while adding three total blocks in the win.
Camryn Matus and
Aleithia Wilson finished right behind her, adding seven kills each, while Matus led the passing game with 17 assists.
Faith Keifer would finish with 16 assists while adding five digs and a kill as she continues her success in setting.
Mara McDougal would lead the defensive effort with 21 assists, while
Kendall Kupper rounded out the day with 15 digs.
The Wheeling University Volleyball team returns to action on Friday, October 30, when they travel to Point Park with first serve at 7 PM.
