Three-time All-American Stephanie Sylvester returns to the Cardinals for her third season as an assistant coach to Christy Benner in 2023.
In 2022, Sylvester worked with the team's setter, Karly Niesen and helped her to one of the best seasons in program history. Niesen led all of NCAA Division II in Assists per set and was an All-MEC Second Team honoree. Sylvester was a part of a Wheeling Volleyball staff that earned the program's ninth consecutive MEC Championship.
Sylvester helped lead the team to continued success during the 2021 COVID season, helping to lead them to their eighth consecutive MEC Championship during the season. Sylvester worked with the front row and setters during the season, and helped freshman Karly Niesen earn All-MEC Seconf team honors for her work as the team[s setter.
Sylvester was a consensus All-American for the Cardinals after she led all of Division II with 12.76 assists per set and 1,518 total assists in 2019. The 2019 Mountain East Conference (MEC) Player of the Year helped the Cardinals rank third in the nation with a .282 hitting percentage and second in Division II with 14.91 kills per set. Sylvester became just the second player in MEC history to surpass 5,000 career assists.Â
She was a three-time American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All-American and one of the catalysts behind Wheeling teams that went a combined 144-17 overall during her four seasons in a Cardinal uniform.
After graduating, the MEC named Sylvester its Female Athlete of the Year for the 2019-20 year.
A native of Oregon, Ohio and a graduate of St. Ursula Academy, Sylvester earned her bachelor's degree in early childhood education and is pursuing a master's of arts in education.
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