RENSSELAER, Ind. - The Saginaw Valley State University women's volleyball program went 1-2 on day one of the St. Joseph's (Ind.) Invitational. The Cardinals dropped their opening match against Winona State by a 3-0 tally while also dropping a 3-1 contest to Bellarmine. SVSU rebounded in their final match of the day as they swept host St. Joseph's (Ind.) 3-0.

Game 1: Winona State 3, SVSU 0 (25-22, 29-27, 25-11)

The Lady Cardinals battled the Warriors in each of the first two sets, including a suspenseful second set which saw Winona State take a 29-27 victory and the commanding two set lead. SVSU fell 25-11 in the third as the Warriors went on to victory. SVSU posted 25 kills with 25 errors in the contest.

Saginaw Valley was led by Chili's 'Player of the Match' Makenzie Frodle (Fraser, Mich.) who posted nine kills on 15 attempts with just one error. Frodle's nine kills and .533 hitting percentage both were team highs. Fellow sophomore Kelsey Ferla (Lincoln Park, Mich. / Gabriel Richard HS) also recorded nine kills along with eight digs.

Junior Julia Thomas (Novi, Mich. / Novi HS) tallied a team-high 14 digs, while Sam Breault (Bad Axe, Mich.) pitched in with 20 assists.

Game 2: Bellarmine 3, SVSU 1 (25-19, 20-25, 25-21, 25-22)

SVSU fell behind after a 25-19 first set but rebounded with 16 kills in the second set to tie up with match with a 25-20 victory. However, the Cardinals narrowly dropped the final two sets by scores of 25-21 and 25-22 to fall in four sets.

Kate Czopek (Sterling Heights, Mich. / Sterling Heights HS) earned Chili's 'Player of the Match' honors as she produced eight kills, seven assists, 15 digs and two service aces to lead the Cardinals. Kelsey Ferla recorded a team-high nine kills on a match-high 44 attacks with 15 digs.

Makenzie Frodle tallied eight kills in the contest while freshman Brooke Tiller (Maumee, Ohio) and Sam Breault each added 13 digs each. Breault also recorded 21 assists as she setup the Cardinal offense.

Game 3: SVSU 3, St. Joseph's (Ind.) 0 (25-23, 25-20, 25-19)

The last match of the day for the Cardinals featured a hard-fought battle with host St. Joseph's, making it a virtual away game.

Saginaw Valley got off on the right foot in game one as they pulled out a close 25-23 decision for the early edge in the match. The Cardinal offense picked up their efficiency in the second set hitting .343 with 15 kills to take the second set 25-20 for the big 2-0 lead. After a tough day of closely contested matches, SVSU came through in the third set as they defeated the Pumas in straight sets.

Chili's 'Player of the Match' Lyndsay Reynolds (Saline, Mich.) was very influential in leading the Lady Cardinals to victory with five kills, two aces and two blocks.

Ferla recorded seven kills and ten kills, while Kate Czopek added six kills and 11 digs. Meanwhile, Brooke Tiller gathered 13 digs as the libero for Saginaw Valley in the winning effort.

Saginaw Valley is now 2-5 on the season and will look to carry their momentum over into Saturday's two matches at the St. Joseph's Puma Invitational. The Cardinals will battle Edinboro at noon tomorrow (Sept. 8) before taking on Illinois-Springfield at 2:00 PM.