SAN DIEGO, Calif. - Following a day one split at the 2016 Point Loma Invitational, the SVSU volleyball team had a similar result on the last day of competition. The Cardinals opened play on Saturday (Sep. 3) with a 3-0 sweep over Cal State Dominguez Hills but would tall by a 3-1 count to the host school, Point Loma Nazarene.

Game One - Cal State Dominguez Hills

SVSU jumped out front after a 25-17 victory in the opening set to grab the 1-0 edge. It followed that frame up with a 25-23 decision in the second to push the lead out to 2-0. Cal State pushed the Cardinals in the third set as well, forcing bonus volleyball before SV was able to come out ahead and close-out for the sweep with a 27-25 win.

Inside the Boxscore

• Kaylee Schmitt posted a match-best 12 kills while swinging it at a .321 clip. She added six blocks as well and a pair of aces.
• Andrea Brigham added eight kills and chipped-in defensively with 13 digs.
• Emily Nieman led in digs, notching a match-high of 18 for the Cardinals.
• Tamara Heller had 11 digs to go along with four kills.
• Kelly Vellucci had 28 assists and nine digs. 

From Head Coach Will Stanton

"We were tested on our serve receive again and had to step up our passing. Our offense and serving, however, was much better and it allowed us to battle better throughout the match."

Game Two - Point Loma

Point Loma squeaked-out a narrow 28-26 victory in the first set, taking the 1-0 edge. The Cardinals responded with a solid 25-22 advantage in the second frame to knot the score at 1-1. The Sea Lions would then continue to take the next two, carding scores of 25-23 and 25-17, respectively, for the 3-1 win.

Inside the Boxscore

• Schmitt had another solid match, posting a team-high 15 kills and a .364 hitting percentage against the Sea Lions. She added four blocks as well and would be named to the all-tournament team for her efforts all weekend.
• McKenzie Schuster added 11 kills and two blocks.
• Kelly Vellucci had 43 assists and four blocks while registering 16 digs.
• Emily Nieman collected 18 digs defensively while Abbie Toland had 16.
• Kennedy Marker registered eight kills, four digs and a trio of blocks.

Up Next

Saginaw Valley will hit the road for another tournament, as the Cardinals travel to the University of Indianapolis to participate in the UIndy Invitational, which will take place on Friday, September 9 and Saturday, September 10. 

@SVSU_Volleyball | #svsuvball