PENSACOLA, Fla. — The University of West Florida volleyball team secured a decisive 3-0 victory over Wheeling on Friday afternoon in the SpringHill Suites Invitational at PenAir Field House. The victory marks the first of the Division I era for the Argos.
The match began with West Florida taking an early lead against Wheeling, opening the first set with a kill from
Talya Sampson. After a brief exchange of points, the Argonauts went on a decisive 6-0 run, pushing the score to 8-3.
Karyna Werley contributed multiple assists during the stretch, and a service ace by
Camryn Brooks extended West Florida's lead to 15-4.
Emily Breazeale's consistent offensive effort helped West Florida maintain momentum. Ultimately, an attack error by Jenna Pence secured the first set for West Florida with a 25-10 finish.
West Florida secured the second set with another decisive win over the Cardinals.
Kumara Flanagain and Sampson each contributed multiple kills that helped UWF gain and maintain momentum.
Delaney Hanowell and Breazeale combined for crucial blocks to stall Wheeling's advance during the set. West Florida maintained control throughout, finishing the set with a kill by Sampson, assisted by Werley, to close out the set, 25-15.
The Argonauts secured a win in the final set, pulling away from the Cardinals late in the set. Wheeling took an early 3-0 lead before West Florida leveled the score at 11-11.
Madison Joyner's flipped the momentum to the Argonauts' favor, as she delivered three consecutive aces to push West Florida into a significant lead at 16-12. The final points were claimed with a service ace by
Rowan Kage and an attack error by Ava Green, sealing the set at 25-19 for West Florida.
Breazeale led the team with a .500 clip and matched her offensive effort with eight digs. Hanowell was a defensive force, recording five total blocks and adding five kills. Moulton orchestrated the offense, providing 20 assists and contributing eight digs. Sampson topped the scoring with 11 kills on 18 attempts, maintaining a .333 hitting percentage.
Looking ahead, the Argonauts will face Southwest Minnesota State on Saturday, Aug. 29, at 11 a.m. The match will take place at the PenAir Field House in Pensacola, Florida. Live stats will be available on GoArgos.com.
For more information on the UWF volleyball program, visit GoArgos.com and follow the team on social media at @uwfvolleyball (Instagram) and @UWFVolleyball (X).
