SAN DIEGO, Calif. - The SVSU volleyball team kicked-off the 2016 season on the west coast, traveling to play in the Point Loma Invitational for the first four matches of the year. The Cardinals posted a 3-0 shutout victory in the opening match over Chadron State before falling in straight sets to California Baptist, 3-0.
Match One - Chadron State
The Cardinals jumped ahead early with a 25-16 victory in the opening set to grab the 1-0 advantage, hitting for a solid .393 percentage. Leading the way was McKenzie Schuster, who registered five kills in the frame while Kaylee Schmitt added four. Kelly Vellucci had 12 assists in the set While Tamara Heller posted five digs.
SVSU tacked-on a decisive 25-13 advantage in the second set to take the 2-0 lead and would close things out in the third frame with a 25-21 score to make the final 3-0.
Inside the Boxscore
- Schmitt had a match-high seven kills while posting a .500 hitting percentage after 10 total attack attempts.
- Schuster added seven kills as well, adding a pair of blocks and digs for SV.
- Heller had a match-best 12 digs to go along with six kills and three aces.
- Vellucci finished the contest with 33 helpers, marking a match-high while chipping-in with seven digs and a block.
- Emily Nieman helped anchor the defense with 11 digs of her own, aside from her three service aces.
- Abbie Toland had eight digs and two aces in her first career match for Saginaw Valley.
From Head Coach Will Stanton
"It was a good start to the season with some solid passing and blocking. Our offense was a little sloppy at times, but we were working pretty hard and took advantage of their weaknesses."
Match Two - California Baptist
The Lancers opened the match with consecutive 25-21 victories to grab a 2-0 advantage in the match. They would then post a 25-22 win in the third and final set, closing-out the 3-0 decision.
Inside the Boxscore
- Vellucci had 26 assists in the second game, adding five kills on eight attacks with six digs.
- Schuster had a solid match, hitting at a .357 clip while notching eight kills.
- Schmitt had seven kills for SVSU while Andrea Brigham posted a team-best nine.
- Kennedy Marker chipped-in with six kills.
- Heller led the team with 11 digs and Nieman posted 10.
From Head Coach Will Stanton
"Our passing struggled against their serve and that made our offense too inconsistent against a team that good. We worked hard to fight back and had some bright spots here and there, but couldn't bring enough attacking to give ourselves a chance to win. Cal Baptist did a great job on their serve and we learned a few things about what we need to improve on."
Up Next...
Saginaw Valley (1-1) continues play at the Point Loma Invitational. The Cardinals will face Cal State Dominguez Hills (Sep. 3) at 6:30 p.m. before squaring-off with the hosts, Point Loma, in an 11:00 p.m. match in San Diego. All times are eastern.