FAIRMONT, W.Va. -  Fairmont State University captured the 2026 Mountain East Conference Volleyball Tournament Championship on Friday night, defeating No. 2 North Division seed Wheeling, 3-2, inside Joe Retton Arena in Fairmont, West Virginia.

The No. 1 North Division seed the Fighting Falcons secured the conference's automatic qualifying bid to the 2026 NCAA Division II Women's Volleyball Championship while claiming their first MEC Tournament Championship in program history.

Fairmont State finished the match with 56 kills while hitting .189, holding Wheeling to a .134 hitting percentage.

The Fighting Falcons established control early, combining for 27 kills and eight blocks across the opening two sets while limiting the Cardinals to 14 kills and three blocks.

Wheeling responded in the third and fourth sets, recording 15 and 14 kills, respectively, to even the match at two sets apiece and force a decisive fifth set.

In the final frame, Fairmont State jumped out to an early 5-1 advantage. The Cardinals continued to battle, cutting the deficit to two points at 13-11 following a kill from freshman outside hitter Isabella Faro. However, the Fighting Falcons closed out the championship with back-to-back kills from outside hitter/right side Josie Nobbe and junior right side/setter Elena Thompson to secure the five-set victory.

Nobbe led all players with a match-high 18 kills while adding seven digs. Junior Belle DeVall paced the Fairmont State offense with a match-high 29 assists, while sophomore setter Zoe Ringer contributed 20 assists.

Defensively, junior libero Grace DeVall led the Fighting Falcons with 21 digs, while senior middle blocker Natalie Zemba recorded 4.5 total blocks.

Wheeling was led offensively by sophomore middle blocker Aleithia Wilson, who finished with 12 kills. Junior setter Faith Keifer distributed 24 assists to lead the Cardinals, while sophomore Mara McDougal recorded a team-high 20 digs.

With the victory, Fairmont State earns the MEC's automatic qualifying bid to the 2026 NCAA Division II Women's Volleyball Championship. The NCAA Division II Women's Volleyball Championship selection show is scheduled for Nov. 15 at 10 p.m. ET and will be streamed live on NCAA.com.

2026 MEC Volleyball Championship All-Tournament Team
Josie Nobbe, Fairmont State
Grace DeVall, Fairmont State
Kailyn Connelly, Fairmont State
Camryn Matus, Wheeling 
Katie Wilking, Wheeling 
Mara McDougal, Wheeling
Gracie Brown, Glenville State
Grace Yocham, Frostburg State