Wheeling, W. Va. – The Wheeling University Volleyball team (28-5, 15-1) opened their run in the NCAA DII Atlantic Regional Tournament when they battled #8 Fayetteville State. Wheeling was able to pick up the sweep, with wins of 25-19, 25-19, and 25-18. They now preparing to face #4 Edinboro in the semifinals on Friday at 7:30 pm.

However, early on it looked like the Broncos were going to pull off the upset as they scored six of the first eight points in the game. They pushed that lead to 11-6 before Wheeling called a timeout to regroup. Once they did that, the offense got going with a few attacking errors from Fayetteville and a kill from the reigning MEC Freshman of the Year Mady Winters. They put together a 4-0 run to make it a one-point game and overtook the Broncos just a few points later. The team's battled to a 16-16 tie before the Cardinals finished the set with a 9-3 run and took the set 25-19 and took a 1-0 lead in the match. As a unit, the offense had a .179 hitting percentage in that first set but was looking to eliminate their slow starts.

They put together their best hitting performance is the night in the second set, with a team hitting percentage of .297. However, the start of the second set was a battle with both teams splitting the first 20 points of the set. Wheeling was the first team to gain a true advantage in the game, going on a 4-0 run that opened it up to a 14-10 lead. Lexi Smith and Tylah Yoemans each picked up kills on the run, and Wheeling would never sacrifice the lead from there. An attack error by Fayetteville would close out the set and give Wheeling a 25-19 set two win. They were ahead 2-0 but knew they needed to end the match there to keep the Broncos from fighting back.

After the team's once again traded the first four points in the third set, Wheeling got the offense started. They built an 8-6 lead before a 5-1 run opened up the scoring. With Wheeling ahead 13-7, they had to make sure to keep Fayetteville from finding their way back into the game. They got within three points of the Cardinals a few times during the set but were never able to get any closer. Wheeling led 24-18 late in the set when they turned it over to senior Allonda Watkins. Watkins slammed down the final kill of the day and sent Wheeling home a 25-18 winner and gave them a 3-0 win in the match. Wheeling finished the set hitting .179, and need the day with a .215 mark.

Leading the way on offense for the Cardinals was senior Kayla Bekier, who finished the night with 11 kills. Tylah Yoemans also had a strong day with nine kills and has been a spark plug for the team down the stretch.
Sophomore Karly Niesen was a strong as ever as the team's setter and racked up 40 assists. The defense was spearheaded by the 2021 AVCA Atlantic Region Player of the Year Audrey Francis. Francis finished the night with 13 digs and Jenna Franks added another eight digs in the win. Wheeling now moves on to face #4 Edinboro in the Atlantic Region Semifinals on Friday.

Tip-off for Friday's match is scheduled for 7:30 pm in the Alma Grace McDonough Center.