ASHLAND, Ohio - Facing another weekend against Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) South Division opponents, the Saginaw Valley State University volleyball team got its weekend started on the right note after claiming a 3-0 victory over the Ashland University Eagles on Friday night (10/10).

Despite hitting just .100 in the first set, SVSU was able to gain the early edge after posting a 25-21 advantage and the 1-0 lead.  The Cardinals would go on and win the second frame by a 25-22 count and finished things off with a 25-19 victory in the third and final set.

The Cardinals overcame the slow start offensively and posted a .235 and .233 hitting percentage in the second and third sets, respectively.

Senior Ashley Driscoll led the way for the Cardinals offensively and was named the Chili's "Player of the Match."  Driscoll had a team-high eight kills while hitting at a .500 clip.

Fellow senior Kelsey Ferla matched Driscoll's eight kills while anchoring the defense with a match-high 14 digs as well.  

Sophomore setter Kelly Vellucci had a match-high 32 assists and chipped-in with 10 digs while junior Morgan Eddy added five kills on nine attack attempts for a .444 hitting percentage.

"The team started a bit slow tonight and it took some time to get our offense connecting," said SVSU Head Coach Will Stanton.  "Our passing and serving was able to keep us in the match until the offense got rolling though.  It helped having some friendly fans there tonight to off-set the road match environment."

Stanton was referring to the SVSU football team, which made an appearance at Ashland's Kate's Gymnasium to cheer on the volleyball squad prior to the team's game against the Eagles on Saturday at 1:00 pm.

The victory improves SVSU's record to 9-6 overall and 6-4 in the GLIAC while the Eagles fall to 4-10 overall and 4-6 in league play.

Saginaw Valley continues play in Ohio on Saturday (10/11), as the Cardinals face Lake Erie College (2-14, 0-10 GLIAC) in a match set to begin at 2:00 pm.