Wheeling, W. Va. – It was rivalry night inside the Alma Grace McDonough Center as "The Battle for Wheeling" commenced on the volleyball court Friday night. The Wheeling University Volleyball team (11-5, 5-1) would take the first round of the battle over West Liberty University, picking up a 3-1 win. It was a big night individually on the court, with sophomore Camryn Matus picking up her second career triple-double to lead the Cardinals in the effort.
Wheeling staked their claim to their home court early in set one, hitting a match-best .429 to open the night. After West Liberty took a 2-1 lead over the first three points, it was Matus who got her big day going with a kill. It sent the Cardinals on a 4-0 run, and once they had the lead, they never gave it back. Matus would knock down three kills in the first six points for the Cardinals, and they would be staked to a 9-8 lead. They would get the separation they needed with a 9-1 swing that made the score 17-9 in favor of Wheeling, and they would continue to add on to the lead, holding a 23-11 advantage late in the set. It would be a big opening set for Matus, who totaled seven of her 13 kills in that first set, including four during the late push. West Liberty would break the run momentarily with a kill by Dakoda Keni, but a Hilltopper attack error would set up set point for the Cardinals. Senior Katie Wilking would be there with the kill as the Cardinals won, 25-13.
With a 1-0 lead on their side, Wheeling entered the match sitting 7-0 when winning the first set. West Liberty looked to put an end to that perfection and took control early in set two with a 9-4 lead through the first 13 points. This time, it would be Autumn King that got the Cardinals back on track, knocking down three kills as part of a 7-1 Cardinal swing that got them out in front at 11-10. Wheeling would hold the lead into the media timeout, with a Kendall Kupper service ace giving Wheeling a 15-12 lead, and an 8-2 run would give the Cardinals a 19-14 lead late in the set. The Hilltoppers would battle back, getting as close as 22-18 before a King kill coupled with a Kupper service ace brought up set point at 24-18. West Liberty would continue to fight to stay alive, putting up back-to-back kills before a service error gave Wheeling the 25-20 set two win. It gave Wheeling a 2-0 lead as the team was looking to complete their fifth straight sweep heading into set three.
The fight that West Liberty showed at the end of set two would carry into set three, with the Hilltoppers jumping out to a 14-5 advantage. The Cardinals were able to get back to within 10 points thanks to a 4-0 run led by freshman Ava Green, but the comeback try was too little too late as West Liberty took the third set 25-13. Set four would be the most competitive set of the night, with the teams going back and forth through the first 29 points as Wheeling held a 15-14 advantage at the media timeout. There were a few short Wheeling runs early on, but not enough to create separation for the Cardinals to pull away. That would change coming out of the media timeout as Wilking knocked down a kill and opened the door for a 5-0 Wheeling run, giving them a 20-15 lead. West Liberty would stay within five points of the Cardinals, getting as close as 23-18 before Green knocked down a kill to bring up match point. West Liberty had one more point in them thanks to a Taylor Speake kill, but a West Liberty attack error would bring the night to an end as the Cardinals took the set 25-19 and won the match 3-1.
It was a big night for Camryn Matus, who picked up her second career triple-double, finishing with 13 kills, 11 assists, and 13 digs in the winning effort. She last accomplished the feat on October 7, 2025, against Frostburg State, when she finished with 10 kills, 23 assists, and 10 digs, and picked up her second career triple-double nearly a year to the date. Junior Faith Keifer was right behind her, picking up her second straight double-double, tying with Matus with 11 assists while adding 11 digs of her own. The final Cardinal to finish with double-digit digs was Mara McDougal, who finished with 10 on the night, while Autumn King rounded out the offensive attack with 13 kills of her own.
The Wheeling University Volleyball team returns to action on Friday, October 9, when they travel to West Virginia Wesleyan, with first serve at 7 p.m.
