This Week: The Notre Dame College volleyball team concludes the regular season, as the Falcons host Wheeling University this evening, Nov. 6 at 7 p.m. for senior day.
 
Records: NDC begins the week at 9-14, including 6-7 in the MEC, to maintain sixth place in the Mountain East Conference. Wheeling sits atop the MEC North Division and in second place overall at 21-6 (11-1 MEC).
 
Coaches Corner: Erica Kostelac wraps up her first season as head coach of the Notre Dame College volleyball program. Christy Benner is in her 22^nd season with Wheeling, amassing a career record of 672-147.
 
Rankings: Neither team is ranked according to the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) poll.
 
Series History: Notre Dame is 0-21 all-time when facing Wheeling, dating back to their first meeting in 2013, and including WU's straight set victory back on Oct. 6 in Wheeling, W.Va.
 
Noting the NDC Falcons: Last week, Notre Dame went 2-1, beginning on Tuesday evening with a straight set win on the home court over Fairmont State. Junior setter Jayme Zoeckler tied the NDC three-set record with a game-high 42 assists. On Friday, the Falcons traveled to Frostburg State and dropped a five-set heartbreaker, before bouncing back to defeat Salem 3-0 on Saturday.
 
Freshman Sydney Bray highlights the Notre Dame College offense with 3.87 kills per set, leading the team and the Mountain East Conference, while ranking 28^th in NCAA Division II. The Woodstock Ga. native posts 4.55 points per set, the top mark on the team and in the MEC, while being 25^th in DII.
 
Junior Samantha Comer flashes 3.14 kills per set and 3.61 points per set, ninth-best in the MEC in kills and tied eighth in points. Lilliana Mook, Kelsie Palmer and Diamond Baker also provide support for the Falcons, as Zoeckler sets up the team with 9.56 assists per set, ranking second in the MEC. Zoeckler now owns 2,018 career assists, one of five NDC Falcons to eclipse 2,000 in a career. In addition, Zoeckler ranks tied fourth in the MEC with 0.45 aces per set.
 
Defensively, junior libero Kiley Kalina anchors the team with 3.92 digs per set, sixth in the MEC. The Smithville, Ohio native has totaled 1,162 career digs, eighth on the NDC all-time list. Kalina (325) is joined by Bray (239), Zoeckler (202) and Comer (164) as Falcons north of 100 digs on the year. At the net, Palmer (49), Bray (45) and Baker (45) lead the team in blocks.
 
On the year, Notre Dame averages 12.0 kills per set on a .175 attack percentage, to go along with 11.3 assists per set, 1.7 aces per set, 15.3 digs per set and 1.6 blocks per set.
 
Noting the Cardinals: Last week, Wheeling kept the momentum rolling, as the Cardinals bested Frostburg State and Salem in straight sets on Tuesday and Friday. Wheeling has now won 13 consecutive matches and 38 straight sets, as WU last dropped the second set to Frostburg State during their first meeting back on Oct. 3.
 
The Cardinals own a potent offense, led by Tylah Yeomans (3.84) and Riley Kendall (3.23), who rank second and seventh in the MEC in kills per set. Mady Winters (.376) and Katie Wilking (.310) add support, ranking first and sixth in attack percentage, alongside Yeomans in fifth (.311).
 
Karly Niesen sets up the Cardinal attack with 11.70 assists per set, number one in the MEC and fourth in the country.
 
Defensively, Berit Jones (3.79) and Kendall (3.69) are seated seventh and eighth in the league in digs. At the net, Winters (1.17) is second in the conference and 23^rd in the country in blocks per set.
 
As a whole, Wheeling averages 14.1 kills per set on a .266 attack percentage, to go along with 13.4 assists per set, 0.7 aces per set, 18.4 digs per set and 2.3 blocks per set. Amongst NCAA Division II, the Cardinals rank sixth in assists per set, ninth in digs per set, 11^th in kills per set and 12^th in attack percentage.