Wheeling, W. Va. - With the start of the 2026 season just 10 days away, the Wheeling University Volleyball team is gearing up for its trip to Florida and the West Florida Invitational to start the year. On Monday, the Mountain East Conference (MEC) released its annual preseason Volleyball poll, and the Cardinals were selected as the preseason favorites in the MEC North Division. Wheeling would receive six first-place votes in the north division after a vote by the league's head coaches, as they look to avenge last year's first-round tournament exit. 

The 2025 Cardinals would go through a youth movement, bringing in 10 freshmen to replace a large senior class the year prior. There were some growing pains with the young roster early on, but by the time they reached conference play, the Cardinals hit their stride. They would win each of their first four MEC matches of the year and, by season's end, were fighting for a chance to host the conference tournament for the first time since 2019. It came down to a five-set match in "The Battle for Wheeling", but the Cardinals fell 3-2, sharing the MEC North regular season crown with West Liberty and Fairmont State. The Cardinals would draw the #2 seed in the MEC North, and once again played five sets against their first-round opponent, the University of Charleston, but would once again fall short, dropping a 3-2 match. 

Despite having a young roster, the Cardinals once again found themselves among the top attacking teams in the conference. They finished 2025 third in assists/set (12/18), while sitting fourth in kills/set (12.93) and hitting percentage (.198). On the defensive side, the Cardinals' were also able to hold their own, sitting third in the conference with 17.28 digs/set, while holding the opposition to a .201 hitting percentage. As they head into 2026, that young Cardinals' roster comes back with a year of experience under their belt. They are led by reigning MEC Freshman of the Year Camryn Matus, who returns as the Cardinals' leading attacker with 297 kills and a .220 hitting percentage in 2025. Senior Katie Wilking is coming off her first All-American nod, after leading the Cardinals with 82.0 blocks a season ago, and looks to provide the veteran leadership for this year's team. 

As they have every year, the Cardinals will once again challenge themselves in the early going, traveling to West Florida University for the 10th season in a row, excluding the 2020 COVID-shortened season. They then come home for their special alumni hall of fame tournament on September 4th and 5th, and follow that with the annual Atlantic Region Crossover September 11th and 12th. The tournaments will kick-off a 11-match homestand that runs through the end of September, and includes each of the team's first five conference matches. Head Coach Christy Benner is looking for her team to get off to a hot start, and the home court will play to the Cardinals' advantage. Following that 11-match homestand, the team will have just five home matches the rest of the way, and will look to be road warriors as they try and clinch not only an MEC Tournament berth, but home court advantage for the first time since 2019. 

While Wheeling took home the top spot in the MEC North Division to start the season, The University of Charleston was selected as the preseason favorite in the MEC South Division. The Golden Eagles received six first place votes, and 57 points overall, in the head coach vote. Rounding out the top three from the south were West Virginia Wesleyan, three first place votes and 49 total points, and West Virginia State, one first place vote and 42 total points. In the north, Fairmont State would finish right behind Wheeling with five first place votes and 53 total points, while West Liberty finished third with 44 points. The entire preseason MEC Volleyball Poll is listed below:

MEC North 

The Wheeling University Volleyball team tips-off 2026 on Thursday, August 27th, when they open the West Florida Invitational against Spring Hill College, with first serve at noon.