Pensacola, Fla. - After starting the season with a win on Thursday, the Wheeling University Volleyball team (1-1, 0-0) faced their toughest competition of the tournament with a pair of matches on Friday. It started with an NCAA Division I contest against the University of West Florida to start the day, followed by a meeting with #14 Southwest Minnesota State in the afternoon. Everyone on the Cardinal bench contributed between the two matches, but in the end the Cardinals would fall by identical 3-0 scores in both matches.
Match 1: West Florida 3, Wheeling 0
The Cardinals started the day with an NCAA Division I match against the newest DI program in the University of West Florida. It was a chance for Head Coach Christy Benner to get some of her young talent a chance on the court, and challenge them against top Division I talent. The first set saw the Cardinals come out hot, with freshmen Tatum Creps and Jenna Pence each knocking down kills that gave the Cardinals a 3-2 lead early. However, the Argonauts got the chance to show their Division I talent, scoring 22 of the next 27 points to bring up set point at 24-8. The Cardinals would stay alive thanks to another Creps kill coupled with a West Florida attack error, but it was a Cardinal attack error that brought the set to its final score of 25-10.
As the match went on, the Cardinals kept getting better as the young players continued to grow. The Cardinals went back to Creps to start set two, and she led them to a 2-0 lead before West Florida got on the board. They went on a 7-2 run to make it a 7-4 set, but the Cardinals were able to keep things close. Pence picked up her first ace from the server's box, and a Josie Schroder kill brought the score to 8-7. Wheeling was able to keep things close and, with the set score sitting at 10-8, Wheeling rattled off a 3-0 run capped off by a block assist from Creps and Faith Keifer. Wheeling would continue to fight, never falling behind by more than five points, until West Florida capped the set with a 6-0 run. The Cardinals fell 25-15 and were trailing 2-0 in the match before putting together their best showing of the afternoon.
It came in the third set, when the Cardinals were out to a 3-0 lead thanks to a Creps kill and two West Florida attack errors. Creps would add another kill, and a Keifer service ace and an Ava Dickerson kill had the Cardinals in front 7-3. The Cardinals carried the advantage to an 11-8 lead before West Florida rattled off nine of the next 11 points to make it 17-13 late in the set. It would once again be Creps that got the Cardinals going with a kill and the Cardinals would score four straight points to tie the set at 17-17. The Cardinals would get contributions up and down the bench during the set, including kills from Ava Green and Emma Manser and the score would sit at 22-19 late in the set. However, West Florida rattled off the final three points, with a Cardinal attack error closing the book on a 25-19 set score and a 3-0 sweep for the Argonauts.
Leading the effort for the Cardinals was Tatum Creps, who knocked down seven kills and put together a .278 hitting percentage in her collegiate debut. She was a spark plug for the Cardinals early in sets, and helped lead them to a match-best .222 hitting percentage in the third set. Finishing right behind her was senior Josie Schroder, who knocked down four kills, while Ava Dickerson and Ava Green each finished with two kills. Faith Keifer led the assist game with 10, while Brooklyn Brennan added six, and both would also lead the defensive effort with seven digs each. The Cardinals would look to bounce back in match two against #14 Southwest Minnesota State.
Match 2: #14 Southwest Minnesota State 3, Wheeling 0
In their second match of the day, it was back to NCAA DII competition when they took on #14 Southwest Minnesota State. The hard-hitting Mustang offense came out hot with a .425 hitting percentage in the first set that resulted in them taking a 9-2 lead. The Cardinal middles would stop the run, with Camryn Matus and Aleithia Wilson getting up for a block assist to stop the run, and a pair of Mustang service errors strung some points together for the Cardinals. Wheeling would have to battle the rest of the way, with their biggest swing being a 3-2 run that made it 22-15 late in the set. A Mustang attack error would be the final point for the Cardinals in the set, as Southwest Minnesota State notched the final three points, capped by a Lindsay Kruse kill to give the Mustangs a 25-15 set win.
With the Cardinals down 1-0, the Mustangs would just keep firing in set two, scoring the first 12 points in the set. Freshman Tatum Creps would be called on to stop the run, knocking down the first two Cardinal points to make it a 14-2 score midway through the set. Matus would add two kills during the set, with Isabella Faro accounting for the final Cardinal strike. The final two Wheeling points would come from the defense, with Wilson, Matus, and Ava Dickerson combining for a pair of block assists. The early deficit would be too much to overcome, as the Cardinals fell 25-8 and looked to rebound in set three. With their backs against the net, they turned to their senior leader Katie Wilking to get things going, and she delivered with a kill to open the set.
It sent the Cardinals on a 4-1 run to start the set, the first time in the match that they would score the first points of the set. The Mustangs would answer with a 4-0 run, and the lead would change hands six times over the next 15 points, and the score sat even at 12-12 midway through the set. The Cardinals would get back in the driver's seat when Faro started a 3-0 Wheeling run, and a Matus kill kept the Cardinals in front 16-14 three points later. The back and forth would continue to the end, as the score sat knotted at 19-19 with each team needing six points to get the set win. Southwest Minnesota State would take the next advantage, scoring back-to-back points, but Autumn King would get Wheeling back on track with two points of their own to tie things at 21-21. The teams would trade points one more time, before the Mustangs closed out the set with three straight points. It gave them the 25-22 set three win and the 3-0 sweep of the match as the Cardinals fell to 0-2 on the day.
Leading the way for the Cardinals in match two was Camryn Matus, who finished with five kills on eight total attacks while registering a .500 hitting percentage. After getting the rest in the first match, Matus came back swinging in match two, leading the Cardinals in kills for the first time this season. Behind her was the combination of Autumn King and Aleithia Wilson, who each knocked down four kills on the night, while seven different Cardinals registered at least one kill in the match. Mara McDougal would assume libero duties for the Cardinals, leading the way with 17 digs on the night, while Brooklyn Brennan took control of the passing game with 10 assists. Wheeling will look to get back at the Mustangs on Saturday, when the teams wrap up the SpringHill Suites Tournament.
The Wheeling University Volleyball team returns to action on Saturday, August 29, when they take on #14 Southwest Minnesota State for the second day in a row, with first serve at 4:00 PM
