Fairmont, W. Va. - After a straight sets win in the Mountain East Conference (MEC) Quarterfinals, the Wheeling University Volleyball team (20-9, 12-4) was riding high heading into Friday night's semifinal round. They would take on the #4 seed in the MEC North Frostburg State, and after a back and forth in the first two sets, Wheeling locked in through the final two sets. The would hit .250 or better in each of those final two sets, closing out a 3-1 win to advance them to Saturday night's MEC Championship match.
The Cardinals had beaten Frostburg State in each of their two regular season meetings, and they took control early on the back of kills from Aleithia Wilson, Tatum Creps, and Autumn King. Frostburg State would battle back to tie things at 5-5, and took a 6-5 advantage on an Alliyah McNair kill. It would be leader Camryn Matus that righted the ship, knocking down a kill that sent the Cardinals on a 5-1 run. It would be all tied up by the media timeout, and the teams went back and forth until the set sat tied at 17-17. It was once again Matus that got things started with a kill, and Creps would knock down two of her own as part of a 6-2 Cardinal swing that gave them a 23-19 advantage. Frostburg State would answer with three points of their own to get back to within one, but a setting error and an attack error from the Bobcats would clinch the 25-22 set one win for the Cardinals.
With Wheeling up 1-0, they kept the good vibes rolling into set two, taking a 4-1 lead early. However, Frostburg State was not ready to roll over, scoring six straight points to take the 7-4 lead, with Grace Yocham knocking down two kills. Wheeling battled back to take a 12-11 lead midway through the set, but a Bobcat offense that hit .359 in the set was too much to overcome as the Cardinals fell 25-21. With things all tied at 1-1, it would bring up a crucial third set as the match's momentum hung in the balance. Wheeling would respond by scoring six of the first eight points in set three, with three kills to start the day. They would hold their biggest lead of the night at 12-5 in the early going, with the Cardinal defense forcing three Frostburg St. Attack errors along the way. The Bobcats battled back with a 5-0 run, and Wheeling's lead shrunk to 12-10 midway through.
A service error turned things around, and it would be the Cardinal middles that took control of the set. Wilson would lead the way with two kills, and Mara McDougal added a service ace as part of a 9-2 run that had the Cardinals up 21-12. They would close out the 25-15 set three win with a Katie Wilking kill, and the senior was just getting started. Heading into set four, Wheeling was looking to close out the win and, with Frostburg State ahead 4-3, it was Wilking that got the Cardinals started with a kill. She would start them off on a 9-1 swing, knocking down the final three kills on the run as the Cardinals took a 12-5 advantage. They continued to apply the pressure, with another Wilking kill starting a 6-2 Wheeling run, and the Cardinals led 16-7 late.
Wheeling's defense continued to thrive as the match went back and forth, and Wilking would add another kill down the stretch. Frostburg State would get as close as 23-15, before the senior brought up match point with her 11th kill of the night. Frostburg State's Maya Johnson would keep the Bobcat hopes alive for one more point, but it was freshman Ava Green who closed out the night with a kill, and the Cardinals took the fourth set 25-16. Their third set would be their most efficient of the night, hitting .333 as a team over that final set, with Wilking leading the way with six of the 14 kills in the final set. The win advanced the Cardinals back to the MEC Championship match, after missing the match a season ago, as they compete for their first title since the 2023 season.
Leading the way for the Cardinals was senior Katie Wilking, whose big fourth set helped her tie for the team lead with 11 kills on the night. She was also the team's most efficient hitter, hitting .579 in the effort, while adding two digs and one block assist on the evening. Tying with her for the team lead was Autumn King, who knocked down 11 kills of her own on 34 total attacks, her highest total since October 23 when she knocked down 12 kills. The Cardinal setters were on all night long, with Camryn Matus setting a career-high with 25 assists, while Faith Keifer added 17 to round out the effort. Mara McDougal took control of the defensive game, finishing with 24 assists, while tying for the team lead with three service aces.
The Wheeling University Volleyball team returns to action on Friday, November 13, when they face the winner of #2 S Glenville State and #1 N Fairmont State in the 2026 MEC Volleyball Championship match, with first serve at 7 PM.
