Fairmont, W. Va. – After shaking off their Quarterfinal demon from last season, the quest for a Mountain East Conference (MEC) title continues for the Wheeling University Volleyball team (19-9, 12-4). They moved on to Friday night's semifinal round where they match-up with #4 N Frostburg State with first serve at 7 PM. The Cardinals will be looking to make the MEC Championship match for the first time since the 2024 season when they take the court inside the Joe Feaster Center.
In the Quarterfinals, Wheeling would take on the University of Charleston in a rematch of last year's MEC quarterfinal round. It would be a back-and-forth day throughout the night, With Charleston getting the upper hand early in each of the three sets. In set one, that early advantage would sit at 5-2 before the Cardinals battled back to tie things up early. That back and forth would continue for the rest of the set, and the teams would go into a win-by-two scenario, With Wheeling taking the 27-25 win. The offense led the set one come back, with the team hitting .340 as a unit in the set, but it would be the defense that carried the way over the Final two sets. Wheeling's defense would hold Charleston to a .128 Mark in the third set and an .071 hitting percentage in the third set to round out the day. After Wheeling took a two-0 lead, it would come down to one final win-by-two scenario, and the Cardinals would earn the 26-24 win to advance to the semifinals.
As she has done all season, it was sophomore Camryn Matus that led the Cardinals after she received her First Team All-MEC honors in a pregame ceremony. She would pick up her third triple-double of the season, leading the way with 11 kills, while adding 14 assists and 12 digs, tying for the team lead in that category. On the offensive side, it was the most kills in a match for the sophomore, since she knocked down 14 kills against Fairmont State back on October 20. Matus would earn her third triple double of the season, and her fourth of her career, as she continues to move around multiple positions on the court. There have been four total Triple-Doubles across NCAA Division II, with three of those coming from Matus. She looks to continue being a dominant force for the Cardinals as they continue this postseason run.
The other double-double on the night came from junior Faith Keifer, who led the team with 24 assists, while tying for the team lead with 12 digs. Keifer has been the leader of Wheeling's 6-2 rotation, and earner her team-leading 11th double-double of the season. She eclipsed the 1,000 career kill mark in the team's final home match, and looks to continue setting the way for the MEC Championship run. Wheeling's most efficient hitter on the night came from the front row in senior Katie Wilking. Wilking would finish with seven kills on 17 total attacks, finishing with a .412 hitting percentage on the night. She would also step up on the front row, totaling two blocks to round out the effort. Wilking continues her quest for 1,000 career kills, sitting 25 kills away from reaching the milestone. The Cardinals will need to make a deep postseason run for her to get the mark, and she looks to keep swinging and leading the front line.
With the MEC Quarterfinals in the books, the Cardinals now have their sights set on Frostburg State and the MEC Semifinal round. The Bobcats would complete the lone upset of the Quarterfinal round, knocking off the #1 seed from the MEC South Concord in four sets. Their are four teams remaining in the field, with three of those four teams coming from the MEC North Division. Wheeling will play in the first semifinal match of the day, battling Frostburg State for the third time this season, while the other side of the bracket pits #1 N Fairmont State against #2 S Glenville State. The Cardinals are looking to get back to the MEC Championship match for the first time since the 2024 season, but will need to win their third match of the season against Frostburg State.
The Match-up
The Cardinals and Bobcats are meeting for the 19th time in program history in the semifinal round, and the third time in postseason play. The Cardinals have won each of the first 18 meetings between the two teams, including a 2-0 record in postseason play against Frostburg State. During the 2026 regular season, the Cardinals would sweep the season series, picking up a pair of 3-0 wins in the regular season series.
The last meeting between the two teams came back on October 26, 2026, in a match that Wheeling would win 3-0. Ava Green would lead the way in the match, knocking down 10 kills, while adding 17 assists to round out the eff
The Details
First serve for Thursday's MEC Semifinal match is scheduled for 4:30 PM inside the Joe Feaster Center on the campus of Fairmont State University. You can watch the match live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.
