UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich. -- The Saginaw Valley State University women's volleyball team fell to the No. 10-ranked Hillsdale Chargers on Friday (9/23) in a thrilling five-set match, 3-2.  With the defeat the Cardinals fall to 5-4 overall on the season and 4-1 in the GLIAC while the Chargers improve to 9-1 overall and 6-0 in conference play.

The Cardinals jumped out to a quick start by winning the first set 25-23, but the Chargers rebounded and took control in the second to tie up the match with a 25-18 victory. Hillsdale would also take the third set, 25-12, only to see the Cardinals comeback and take the fourth set, 25-21, to force a deciding fifth set. The Chargers won the match by taking the final set 15-11.

The Cardinals were led by senior Annie Buxton (Aurora, Ont./Aurora SS) who earned Chili's "Player of the Match" honors with a team-high 19 kills including a .302 hitting percentage and two service aces. Freshman Kelsey Ferla (Lincoln Park, Mich./Gabriel Richard HS) added eight kills and a .300 hitting percentage, while Katie Fitzgerald (Whitby, Ont./Sinclair SS) also posted eight kills and four blocks on the evening. Junior Sam Breault (Bad Axe, Mich.) tallied 38 assists and three aces, while Laura Ward (White Lake, Mich./Lakeland HS) had 17 digs and three aces for the Cardinals.

Saginaw Valley will attempt to bounce back tomorrow (Saturday) when they host the Wayne State University Warriors for a 2:00 pm match-up.