Wheeling, W. Va. – Riding a four match winning streak, the Wheeling University Volleyball team (10-5, 4-1) Looks to keep the good times rolling as they head into the first edition of "The Battle for Wheeling" In 2026. The Cardinals welcome in West Liberty University For the home half of the matchup on Tuesday, with first serve at 7 PM The Cardinals are off to a hot 4-1 start in Mountain East Conference (MEC) Play and look to finish their first trip through the MEC North on a high note.
Last time out, Wheeling plate their first road match since August 29, When they travel to Davis & Elkins College. It was another efficient night for the Cardinals, who marked their fourth straight match hitting .200 or better as a team, with a .239 mark across the three sets. The Cardinals made a statement right off the bat, taking a 21-6 lead and set one and riding that to a 25-11 victory that gave them a 1-0 lead. However, The Senators were ready to respond, forcing a Win by two scenario in set two that the Cardinals would win 26-24. The third set would be the most competitive of the night, with the teams going back and forth on the First 19 points of the set. It would come down to the final few points, but Wheeling would walk away with a 25-22 set. 3. Win completing their fourth straight sweep to move to 4-1 in MEC play.
The key to the Cardinals recent efficiency has come in their passing game, led by Junior Setter Faith Keifer. She would pick up her fourth double double of the season, leading the way with both 11 assists and 11 digs across the three sets. It continues. What has been a strong season for Keifer, who leads the team with 234 assists while sitting fourth with 117 digs. She is averaging 4.50 assists per set, playing in a two-setter setup for the Cardinals, while also playing a big role on the Wheeling back line. Along with her success in the passing game, Keifer has been one of the team's top servers, sitting third on the team with 10 services on the season. As they round out the first trip through divisional play, Keifer looks to continue to be a steady presence for Wheeling in the setting game and help keep their offense efficient down the stretch.
Working in with Keifer over the last few matches has been the Cardinals Swiss army knife, sophomore Camryn Matus. Matus was the other Cardinal to register a double-double against? Davis & Elkins, finishing with a team best 12. Kills while tying Keifer with 11 assists. It would also be Matus's fourth double-double, with all four of those coming in the last seven matches. Leaving the Cardinals success in the servers box lately has been Mara McDougal, who is registered at least one service Ace in each of her last three matches. She said a career high with four service aces against Malone, and sits second on the team with 11 service aces this season. Along with being the teen's primary libero, the sophomore has stepped up in the servers game and looks to keep her Street going on Tuesday against West Liberty.
As they wrap up their first trip through the MEC North Division, the Cardinals find themselves sitting second place and just one match behind Fairmont State for the divisional lead. The Cardinals have gone 3-1 against their first four divisional opponents, with West Liberty marking the end of the first time through. The Cardinals were Co-MEC North Champions A season ago, splitting the honor with both Fairmont State and West Liberty, and they're looking to claim the title for themselves in 2026. Wheeling has gone on the road for each of the last 6 MEC tournaments and are looking to bring the event back to the Alma Grace McDonough Center for the first time since the 2019 season. The Cardinals will have to continue their winning ways to bring the tournament back, and a win against West Liberty on Tuesday would help them continue that success.
The Match-up
The Cardinals and Hilltoppers are meeting for the 59th time in program history on Tuesday, with Wheeling leading the all-time series at 54-4. Of those 54 wins, 30 of those have come at home, where the Cardinals hold a 30-1 record in 31 previous matches. Wheeling is looking to bounce back in the series, having dropped each of the last two matches at the hands of West Liberty, having been swept in the 2025 season series between the two teams.
The last meeting between the programs came back on November 14, 2025, in a five-set thriller that saw the Hilltoppers pulled off a 3-2 win. Bella DeBarr led the offense with 16 kills on the day, while Katie Wilking added 14 kills to round out the day. DeBarr would finish with a double-double in the effort, leading the defense with 16 digs, while Faith Keifer led the way with 23 assists on the day.
The Details
First serve for Tuesday's game is scheduled for 7 PM inside the Alma Grace McDonough Center. You can watch the match live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.
