UNIVERSITY CENTER — The Cardinals took down the #23 Northern Michigan Wildcats Saturday afternoon in four sets, 3-1. This win puts SVSU with a 7-3 overall record, 1-1 in GLIAC play, while the NMU dropped its first match of the 2018 season, falling to 1-1 in conference play.
The Cardinals were off to a tough start in set one, falling to the Wildcats, 25-14. Although, this defeat did not stay with the Cardinals for very long.
SVSU Volleyball came out swinging in set two, posting six kills lead by sophomore middle Emily Friesl. Late errors in serving and attacking for the Cardinals pushed the two teams to match up 25-25, but the NMU could not hang onto the win. A 28-26 win for SVSU put the two teams knotted up 1-1 in overall sets.
SV Outside Sarah Tabit lit up in the third set, posting five kills, totaling her stats at eight kills in the match. The team continued to improve their hitting percentage and became a tough team to beat along the net, notching 12 total blocks as a team. Saginaw Valley stayed on top of NMU and pushed the Wildcats to a loss, 25-21, giving SVSU the 2-1 advanage.
The final set of the night was all in SVSU's favor, as the Cardinals posted 19 kills. S. Tabit rocked the set with seven kills, but it was her sister, Hannah Tabit, who grabbed three kills and no errors, giving her a .429 ending percentage on the afternoon.
Saginaw Valley earned the win 29-27 over the Wildcats with a packed O'Neill Arena full of supportive and loud Cardinal fans.
This win gave SVSU their first conference win and Northern Michigan their first loss on the yer.
Inside the Box Score:
- Friesl led the frontline with 19 kills, her career high, and added seven blocks, leading her to be named the Meijer Player of the Match
- S. Tabit recorded 15 kills and 17 digs for the Cardinals, her first double-double of the season
- H. Tabit posted her season high hitting percentage, with a .429 and added 31 assists
- Abbie Toland led the backline with 18 digs
- Tamara Heller added 12 digs and four kills for SVSU
From head coach Will Stanton:
Up Next...
The SVSU Volleyball team will conclude their home stretch, taking on Lake Superior State on Tuesday night at 7 p.m. in Hamilton Gymnasium. Live stats and video will be available and links can be found on the SVSU Volleyball page.
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