UNIVERSITY CENTER -- The Saginaw Valley State University volleyball team swept the Northern Michigan Wildcats, 3-0, in GLIAC play and improve to 19-7 overall and 11-4 in the conference.
The Cardinals opened set one scoring ten points in-a-row to take a, 12-2, lead over the Wildcats. The Cardinals defense racked up five of those points forcing five NMU errors and Emily Friesl added three service aces in the rally. The Cardinals continued to gain ground as they extended the lead to 20-9 as Hannah Tabit spread the ball to three separate teammates. This 11 point deficit was too much for the Wildcats to overcome as set one would go to the Cardinals, 25-15.
Set two opened in a similar fashion as the SVSU took an early, 10-1, lead through their defensive presence and recording five blocks. The Cardinals extended their lead, 19-6, as Sara Tabit added three kills and an assist. Northern Michigan was not going down without a fight and scored eight unanswered to cut the Cardinal lead, 19-14. The match fell to the Cardinals as Sarah Tabit added the final kill of the set, 25-17.
The Cardinals led for the entirety of the third set opening with a 13-5 advantage. SVSU extended this lead over the Wildcats, 19-10, as the Cardinals did a great job spreading the ball out offensively. The final four points of the set came from the Cardinal defense and the attack of Sarah Tabit as SVSU defeated NMU, 25-14.
Inside the Box Score
- "Player of the Match" honors went to Sarah Tabit who led the team in in kills with 14 and had a hitting percentage of .435. She added two assists and a service ace offensively and nine digs defensively in the win.
- Hannah Tabit led the team in assists with 25 and added a pair of blocks, three digs and a service ace.
- Emily Friesl led the Cardinals in blocks with five and added, four service aces, two digs and three kills.
From Head Coach Will Stanton...
"Our serving was very effective tonight, and that made our job so much easier defensively. Hannah did a great job spreading the offense, and the hitters dealt with the big northern block pretty well.
Up Next...
The Cardinals are back in action Saturday (Nov. 16) as they host the Michigan Tech Huskies set for a 2:00 p.m. start in the Hamilton Gymnasium. You can follow the action live at svsucardinals.com.