Wheeling, W. Va. - Over the last four weeks, the Wheeling University Volleyball team (8-5, 2-1) has been enjoying some home cooking, going 7-3 over the first 10 matches of their 11-match home stand. That home stretch comes to an end on Tuesday, when the Cardinals welcome in Frostburg State with first serve at 7 PM. The Cardinals are looking to continue riding their high from a weekend sweep of Point Park and Malone as they look to build momentum before heading out on the road.
The weekend came to an end on Saturday when the Cardinals welcomed Malone in non-conference action. Coming off a bounce-back win against Point Park on Friday night, the Cardinal offense once again fueled the fire, putting together a weekend-best .314 hitting percentage against Malone. After falling behind early in the first set, the Cardinal offense came back strong, hitting .375 through the first set and picking up a 25-17 set one win. After that, it would be Wheeling taking control early in each of the next two sets, with a .464 hitting percentage in set two leading the way. They rode an early 6-2 set two lead to a 25-16 win to take a 2-0 lead, and the third set was their best start yet. They got out to a 14-4 lead at the media timeout and were able to hold off one last push from the Pioneers. They would take the final set 25-19, securing their second straight sweep to round out the weekend.
In a weekend that was led by the play of the Cardinal bench, leading the effort was Bella DeBarr at outside hitter. She started the weekend strong, putting down a season-high 11 kills against Point Park, and followed that up with an eight-kill effort against Malone to round out the weekend. Overall, the junior finished with 19 kills on 48 total attacks, putting together a .292 hitting percentage for the weekend. While she knocked down a season-high 11 kills on Friday, it was her efficiency on Saturday that would rule the weekend, where she put up a .400 hitting percentage and did not have a single-attack error on the day. She has been riding a wave of efficiency, holding a .200 or better hitting percentage in five of her last six matches, and she looks to continue being a strong swinger for the Cardinals.
Setting DeBarr up throughout the weekend was Faith Keifer, who has been riding a wave of her own success from the setter position. Keifer would finish the weekend with 26 assists and 13 digs, while adding a service ace as part of a big weekend for the Cardinal's server. Her biggest effort would come against Malone, where she finished with 20 assists and nine digs, coming within one dig of a double-double. She has recorded 15 or more assists in five of the last six matches and has been working as the first setter in the Wheeling rotation to lead the passing game. Rounding out the big weekend was Mara McDougal, who led a serving group that had eight service aces against Malone. McDougal would account for half of those service aces, finishing with four, while putting up a season-high 16 digs. She finished the weekend with 19 digs on the weekend and has finished with double digit digs in each of her 13 matches played this season.
Tuesday marks the finale of what has been an 11-match homestand for the Cardinals, with Wheeling playing well on their home floor. Through the first 10 games, the Cardinals have gone 7-3, three of those have been five-set wins for the Cardinals, including regional wins over CAL-U and Clarion. The run has gotten them off to a hot start in conference play, sitting at 2-1 in MEC play, just one game behind Fairmont State for the Division lead. As they head into October, the Cardinals will have to finish out the season strong on the road as they continue their path towards the MEC Tournament. They have already secured a winning homestand to end September and will look to keep their momentum going against Frostburg State.
The Match-up
The Cardinals and Bobcats are meeting for the 17th time in program history on Tuesday, with Wheeling winning each of those previous 16 meetings. It will be Frostburg State's seventh trip inside the Alma Grace McDonough Center. Of the previous 16 meetings, 14 have been three set matches, with the two four set matches both coming in Frostburg, Maryland.
The last meeting between the two teams came on November 4, 2025, in a match that the Cardinals would win 3-0. Leading the way for the Cardinals was Camryn Matus, who finished with 11 kills and a .217 hitting percentage, while adding nine digs. Faith Keifer led the passing game with 20 assists, while former Cardinal Megan Platt finished with 13 digs and Olivia Batch added 11 digs.
The Details
First serve for Tuesday night's match is scheduled for 7 PM inside the Alma Grace McDonough Center. You can watch the match live by clicking HERE or follow along with Live Stats by clicking HERE.
