Wheeling, W. Va. – The home portion of the 2026 Wheeling University Volleyball team (17-9, 11-4) schedule came to an end Monday as they welcomed in Davis & Elkins. It was the final chance for the Cardinals to play in front of their home fans, and the Cardinals would put together a complete team effort to earn their third straight 3-0 sweep. It helped them keep their one match lead over West Liberty heading into the final match of the regular season on Thursday, as the Cardinals look to secure the #2 seed in the Mountain East Conference (MEC) Tournament.
As a team, the Cardinals would hit .283 on the night with their best showing coming in the opening set. After Davis & Elkins started the night strong scoring three of the first four points, Camryn Matus would knock down the kill that got the Cardinals going. It sent them on what would be an 11-1 run that opened up the set. The Cardinal Frontline would be the catalyst for the Run, with Matus, Aleithia Wilson, and Jenna Pence each knocking down two kills on the run. Davis & Elkins would respond with back-to-back points, but by the media timeout the Cardinals advantage had grown to 15-6. After getting her night started during the initial 11-1 run, Pence would keep swinging during the set, knocking down five of her seven kills in that opening set. As Wheeling brought up set point at 24-10, thanks to a kill by Ava Dickerson, It would be Pence that closed things out. She would knock down the set's final kill to give Wheeling a 25-10 set one win and a 1-0 lead in the match.
The second set would end up being the closest between the two teams as Davis & Elkins showed their fight. After Wheeling scored three of the first four points in the set, the Senators would battle back and took an 8-5 lead 13 points in. Pence would bring the run to an end with her sixth kill of the night, and four points later. Wheeling would hit the run that they needed. It would be started by a Carmen Muzingo kill as the Cardinals scored 10 of the next 12 points to flip the scoreboard. Wheeling would spread the ball around throughout the Run, with four different Cardinals knocking down kills coupled with a Faith Keifer service ace that made it 17-12 in favor of Wheeling. The Senators would continue to show their fight, getting as close as 22-18 before Wheeling ended the set. After an Isabella Faro kill brought up set point, The Wheeling defense would force a Snator's attack error that would bring the set to its final score of 25-18.
With Wheeling holding a 2-0 advantage, the Cardinals would look to put the match away in three sets and put together their second .300+ hitting percentage of the nigh. Dickerson got things started with a kill and the Cardinals would score six of the first eight points in the set to take the early advantage. Josie Schroder would knock down her first two kills of the night and by mid set Autumn King join the fun with two kills of her own. Wheeling held a 15-8 lead by the media timeout and that advantage would grow to 21-9 late in the set. Head Coach Christy Benner would end up emptying her bench with every player seeing sometime on the night. After back-to-back kills by Bella DeBarr brought Wheeling to 23 points, freshman Nia Miller would knock down her first Collegiate kill to bring up match point. It would end up being a Davis & Elkins attack error that would bring the Knight to an end as the Cardinals claimed the 25-10 set three victory and their third straight sweep with a 3-0 win to close out the home schedule.
Leading the effort for the Cardinals was freshman Jenna Pence, who knocked down seven Kills to set a new career high. Five of those kills would come in the first set as she took advantage of her opportunity in the lineup. It was also a big night for junior Faith Keifer who picked up her 1000th career assist in the effort. She would hit the mark in the first set, and finish the night with a team-best, 23 assists. Ava Dickerson would also hit a career high with five kills, while Nia Miller registered her first Collegiate kill in the effort. The defense would be led by sophomore Mara McDougal, who finished the night with 16 digs on the Cardinal backline.
The Wheeling University Volleyball team returns to action on Thursday, November 5, When they travel to West Liberty with first serve at 7 PM.
