WHEELING, W.Va. — West Liberty battled through momentum swings and a hostile road environment to defeat Wheeling in a five-set thriller Friday night at the Alma Grace McDonough Center, securing both the match and the North Division title. The Hilltoppers prevailed 25-23, 22-25, 9-25, 25-19, 15-9 in front of a crowd of 250.

West Liberty finished the night with 60 kills and 72 digs, overcoming Wheeling's 11 service aces and a lopsided third set to rally back and take control when it mattered most.

The Hilltoppers opened the match with composure, jumping out to a 5-1 lead on early kills from Adrienne Staib and Kyia White. Although Wheeling fought back to tie the set at 7-7, West Liberty steadied itself and reclaimed the lead behind strong swings from Grace Hill and Liv McAtee. Two late kills from Ashley Cudnik sealed a tight 25-23 first-set win.

The second set was a back-and-forth battle. Cudnik and setter Dakoda Keni kept the Hilltoppers within striking distance, but Wheeling held off a late push—highlighted by a Keni ace and a McAtee kill—to even the match, 25-22.

The third set belonged entirely to the Cardinals. West Liberty struggled to find rhythm as Wheeling capitalized on several attack errors and surged to a 25-9 win, taking a 2-1 lead in the match.

But the Hilltoppers responded with grit in the fourth. Cudnik continued to power the offense, Bella Dart added a service ace and a key kill, and timely swings from Amira DuPree and McAtee helped WLU build and maintain control. Lily Brinker put the finishing touch on a 25-19 win to force a deciding fifth set.

West Liberty seized momentum early in the final frame and never looked back. Dart delivered a clutch service ace for a 3-1 lead, while Staib, DuPree, McAtee, and Hill each contributed kills to extend the advantage. A combined block from DuPree and Hill helped push the margin to four, and Cudnik hammered home the final point to close out a 15-9 fifth set and the match.

Cudnik led the Hilltoppers with 19 kills and 16 digs, totaling 21 points. Keni orchestrated the attack with 51 assists and 10 digs. McAtee added 10 kills, while Dart tallied 16 digs and two service aces.

With the win, West Liberty caps the regular season atop the North Division and heads into MEC tournament play as they await their opponent.