Wheeling, W. Va. – Following Saturday’s NCAA DII Atlantic Regional Championship match, the NCAA and Gannon University announced their 2024 All-Tournament Team. The Cardinals had three players represented on the team, after finishing as runners-up in the region. Senior outside hitter Riley Kindall, senior middle blocker Mady Winters, and graduate setter Karly Niesen all earned honors to round out the tournament.
Riley Kindall was Wheeling’s offensive leader throughout the tournament, knocking down 70 kills across the three matches. She began her run of success right away against Pitt-Johnstown, knocking down 26 kills and adding 16 digs for her first double-double of the tournament. It was her most efficient day of the weekend, hitting .345 as she advanced her team to the Regional Semifinals. Kindall duplicated her kill count against IUP in the semifinals, adding 26 more kills as the Cardinals earned a reverse sweep over the Crimson Hawks. Kindall came through when her team needed her the most, picking up six kills in the final set. As the team moved to the Regional Championships, Kindall rounded out the tournament with 18 kills and 21 digs to round out the effort.
Karly Niesen has been a staple of the Cardinal offense over the last five years, and continued that success this weekend. She would total 151 assists across the three matches, averaging 11.61 assists per set, wile knocking down eight kills and finishing with 39 digs. She eclipsed the 50 assist mark in each of the first two matches, and had her best performance against Pitt-Johnstown. She led the team to a tournament-high .310 hitting percentage, while finishing with 52 assists. She also put together her best offensive game of the tournament individually, knocking down three kills, while hitting .375 on the night, and finished second on the team with 13 digs. Niesen has been the leader of the Cardinals offense for the last five seasons and continued that success this tournament.
When the team needed her most, Mady Winters came through as the final member of the All-Tournament team. Across the three days of competition, Winters would pick up 36 kills on 70 total attacks, to finish with a .375 hitting percentage. Her success continued on the defensive side of the ball, where she finished with 13 blocks, nine solo and four assisted, across the three matches. However, her biggest showing of the tournament would come in the semifinals against IUP as she led the Cardinals to a four-set victory. With their backs against the wall down 2-0, Winters would spark the team with six kills in the set as she helped keep the match alive. She tied her season high with 18 kills in the effort, and hit .419 on the day as the Cardinals advanced to the Regional Championship for the first time since her freshman season.
The Wheeling Volleyball team heads into the off-season as they prepare for another regional tournament run in 2025.
