Buckhannon, W.Va. – The Golden Eagles opened the MEC Tournament with a statement win, storming back from a 2–0 deficit to complete a reverse sweep over Wheeling and end the Cardinals' 11-year streak of reaching the MEC final. Charleston took the match 3–2 to advance to the semifinals.

The Basics:
Location: Rockefeller Center – Buckhannon, W.Va.
Score: Charleston 3, Wheeling 2 (22–25, 23–25, 25–21, 25–12, 15–12)
Records: UC 21–12 (11–4 MEC), Wheeling 16–14 (10–4 MEC)

How it Happened:
Charleston opened set one with a strong 5–1 start, but Wheeling slowly chipped away to even the frame at 8–8. The set stayed tight all the way to 20–20 before the Cardinals closed on a late push, scoring five of the final seven points to take the set 25–22. Set two mirrored the first. UC used a 5-point run to turn a 3–3 tie into a 7–3 lead, but Wheeling responded and brought the set back to 16–16. Charleston held strong late at 23–23, but two costly errors helped Wheeling edge out another close set, 25–23, to go up 2–0.

Down two sets with their season on the line, the Golden Eagles flipped the match in set three. After Wheeling jumped ahead early, UC answered with an 8–2 run to take a 12–10 lead. The
Cardinals tied it again at 12–12 and 14–14, but Charleston responded with a crucial 4-point burst and carried that momentum to a 25–21 win. Charleston dominated set four from start to finish. The Golden Eagles controlled every phase of play, stacking multiple 3- and 4-point runs to build a commanding lead. A kill from Kate Strong capped a dominant 25–12 victory to force a decisive fifth set.

The final set opened evenly with the teams trading points to an 8–8 tie. Once again, UC delivered the key run, scoring three straight to take an 11–8 advantage. Wheeling couldn't recover from the gap, and the Golden Eagles finished off the comeback with a 15–12 set win to complete the reverse sweep and advance.

Stat Leaders:
Divine Muo led the Golden Eagles with 18 kills while hitting .310. Patrycja Majos and Sophia Knowles each added 17 kills, with Knowles posting a match-best .441 hitting percentage. Kate Strong finished with 8 kills and a team-high 10 blocks.

Setter Abby Avila directed the offense with 57 assists and added 11 digs, while libero Chloe Fortner anchored the defense with a match-high 26 digs. Matea Cunningham contributed 12 kills and 16 digs to round out a strong all-around performance.

 
 
Up Next:
Charleston faces Concord in the MEC Semifinals at 7:30 p.m. In the Rockefeller Center – Buckhannon, W.Va.