FAIRMONT, W.Va. - No. 2 North Division seed Wheeling University and No. 1 North Division seed Fairmont State University punched their tickets to the 2026 Mountain East Conference Volleyball Tournament Championship match with semifinal victories on Thursday evening.
Wheeling opened the evening with a 3-1 victory over North Division No. 4 seed Frostburg State in the first semifinal inside the Joe Retton Arena in Fairmont, West Virginia.
Fairmont State followed with a straight-set, 3-0 win over South Division No. 2 seed Glenville State to secure its place in the championship match.
#2N Wheeling def. #4N Frostburg State, 3-1 (25-22, 21-25, 25-15, 25-16)
Wheeling defeated Frostburg State 3-1 in the opening match of the 2026 MEC Volleyball Tournament Championship semifinals on Thursday evening.
Wheeling outhit Frostburg State .243 to .198 while recording 53 kills in the match. Wheeling's offense was led by senior middle blocker Katie Wilking, who recorded 11 kills while hitting .579. Sophomore outside hitter/middle blocker Autumn King also logged 11 kills.
Defensively, sophomore defensive specialist Mara McDougal led all players with 24 digs, while junior outside hitter Olivia Batch added 17 digs.
Frostburg State sophomore outside hitter Alliyah McNair led all players with 14 kills, while senior right side hitter Grace Yocham added 12 kills.
Junior setter Emery Kuebler paced the Bobcats with 26 assists, while senior right side hitter Maya Johnson recorded 16 digs.
Wheeling will face No. 1 North Division seed and host Fairmont State in the MEC Tournament Championship match on Friday evening at 7 p.m.
#1N Fairmont State def. #2S Glenville State, 3-0 (25-18, 25-17, 25-11)
Fairmont State swept Glenville State, 3-0 in the final match of the 2026 MEC Volleyball Tournament Championship semifinals on Thursday night.
Fairmont State controlled the match offensively, hitting .269 as a team while limiting Glenville State to a .051 hitting percentage. The Fighting Falcons finished with 42 kills.
Senior outside hitter/right side Josie Nobbe, the 2026 MEC Volleyball Player of the Year, and freshman middle blocker Kailyn Connelly, the 2026 MEC Volleyball Freshman of the Year, paced the Fighting Falcons offense with nine kills apiece.
Sophomore setter Zoe Ringer recorded a match-high 19 assists, while junior setter Belle Devall contributed 16 assists for the Fighting Falcons.
Defensively, junior libero Grace DeVall, the 2026 MEC Libero of the Year, recorded a team-high 13 digs.
Glenville State finished with 49 digs, led by freshman defensive specialist Brenan Harvey, who recorded a match-high 16 digs.
Junior outside hitter Juliana Nunez paced the Pioneers offensively with 10 kills.
With the win, host Fairmont State advances to Friday's 2026 MEC Volleyball Tournament Championship match, facing off against No. 2 North Division seed Wheeling on Thursday night.