Fairmont, W. Va. - After taking care of business over the first two days of the 2026 Mountain East Conference (MEC) Volleyball Championships, the Wheeling University Volleyball team (20-9, 12-4) finds themselves back on the conference championship stage. The Cardinals will battle the reigning MEC North Champions Fairmont State in the 2026 MEC Volleyball Championship match, with tip-off at 7 PM. The Cardinals and Falcons have built a rivalry over the last few seasons, and it will culminate in this championship match-up.
In the semifinals, the Cardinals would take on Frostburg State, looking to build on their regular season sweep of the Bobcats. Set one would be a back and forth affair, with a late Cardinal run creating the separation needed for the 25-22 set win. However, Frostburg State answered back in set two, jumping out to an early lead and riding it to a 25-21 set two win that evened things at 1-1. As the Cardinals went into the set break, they kicked things up another notch, jumping out to a 9-3 lead in set three. The defense would play a big part in the success, holding the Bobcats to just 15 points and securing the 25-15 win to go ahead 2-1 in the match. It was the offense's turn to lead the way in the final set, led by the efforts of senior Katie Wilking. Wilking would knock down six of her 11 kills in the final set, and helped lead the Cardinals to a 25-16 set four win, claiming the 3-1 victory.
It would be a big day for the Cardinal's senior middle blocker, with Wilking tying for the team lead with 11 kills on the day. She would have just five heading into the final set, before adding six more to her total to round out a big day. Along with being the Cardinal's leading attacker, Wilking would also be their most efficient hitter, finishing with a .579 hitting percentage in the semifinals. She is the second leading attacker in the MEC in 2026, holding a .341 hitting percentage for the season, and is quickly approaching a career milestone. She enters the championship match needing just 14 kills to reach the 1,000 career kill mark. Her season high in 2026 is 14, which she set back on September 18 against West Virginia State, and she will look to duplicate that effort in the Championship.
Finishing tied for the offensive lead was sophomore Autumn King, who finished with 11 kills of her own on a team-high 34 total attacks. It was the most kills for King in a match since October 23, when she knocked down 12 kills, and she continued to build on her career season. She has already set a career-high with 145 kills already this season, and will be a big striker for the Cardinals in this one. Rounding out the big effort was the work on the back line by sophomore libero Mara McDougal. McDougal led the way with 24 digs on the night, and had her third straight match without committing a reception error. McDougal also played a big role in the serving game, tying for the team lead with three service aces as the Cardinals would out ace the Bobcats on the night.
With the MEC Championship stage set, the Cardinals are making their return to the conference championship stage, after missing out for the first time since the MEC Tournament began last season. The Cardinals put together a historic run from 2013-2023, winning the MEC Championship in each of those 11 seasons and the Cardinals have won 11 of the 13 MEC Championship matches played in the conference's history. However, on the other side of the court is a Fairmont State team that has put together a historic season so far in 2026. The Falcons earned the program's first-ever solo MEC Championship, finishing with a record of 29-5 overall and an impressive 15-1 mark in conference play. The Falcons swept the MEC "Of the Year" honors, including Head Coach Travis Hinkle winning the MEC Coach of the Year. The Cardinals will lean on their program history and experience as they try to topple the Falcons.
The Match-up
The Cardinals and Falcons are meeting for the 66th time in program history on Friday, and it will mark the sixth meeting between the programs in postseason play. Wheeling leads the all-time series with a record of 50-15, including having won each of the previous five postseason matches against Fairmont State. However, Fairmont State has had the upper hand as of late, winning each of the last three meetings between the two programs, including three of the last five meetings between the two teams.
The last meeting between the two programs came back on October 20 when the Falcons earned a 3-1 win inside the Joe Feaster Center. Camryn Matus would lead the way in the contest, picking up her second triple-double of the season, finishing with 14 kills, 24 assists, and 10 digs on the night. Ava Green would tie for the team lead with 14 kills, while Faith Keifer led the way with 24 assists and Mara McDougal rounded out the day with a team-best 23 digs.
The Details
First serve for Saturday's MEC Championship match is scheduled for 7 PM inside the Joe Feaster Center on the campus of Fairmont State University. You can watch the game live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.
