Kenosha, Wis. — The Saginaw Valley State Volleyball team completed their final day of action at the Parkside Hampton Inn Invitational with two wins to go undefeated in the tournament.
The Cardinals first defeated GLIAC member, Purdue Northwest, 3-0, followed by the third five set win on the year over Minnesota-Crookston.
Game One: SVSU 3 - PNW 0
The Cardinals were off to a quick start against Purdue Northwest after a very long previous nightcap five setter that ended in victory, but at 11:30 p.m. SVSU jumped out quickly in the first set, going on a four point run to take the lead 11-6. PNW responded by pulling within one (11-10) of the Cardinals, but were unable to ever regain the lead. Led by junior Reagan Moffit, who contributed four kills and no errors, SVSU was able to take the win 25-22.
The Pride began to fight back in the second set, tying up the match 15-15, but it was the clean style of play from the Cardinals that let them pull away from PNW. SVSU only produced two errors the entire set, the lowest so far this season. The Saginaw Valley front line outscored Purdue Northwest 10-3 to take the win 25-18 and edged out a 2-0 lead.
After a tied up 11-11 set three, the Cardinals quickly pulled away for a 25-21 victory, taking the match 3-0.
Inside the Box Score:
- Moffit earned her first Player of the Match accolade after posting a .263 from the right side with seven kills. She added two block assists, as well
- Emily Friesl and Sarah Tabit each contributed 10 kills
- Hannah Tabit added another double-double with 15 digs and 31 assists
- Team added a .243 hitting percentage overall
From Coach Will Stanton:
"We did a very good job of handling our trouble plays, and making the play better. Our serving was not as strong so we had to defend and rally more and we were solid in that area. PNW is a very hard working and energetic team and we had to try to match that to have a chance."
Game Two: SVSU 3, UMC 2
SVSU came out dominating in the first set of action against Minnesota-Crookston, posting a 25-11 victory. The Cardinals held the Golden Eagles to a -.027 hitting percentage, edging the team to a 1-0 lead.
Struggling offensively against UMC, the Cardinals only hit .175 in set two, which led to the Golden Eagles success. Even with both teams notching 15 kills, errors hurt SVSU. Minnesota-Crookston earned a close victory, 25-20, evening out the set score, 1-1.
UMC then had a near perfect set, with 12 kills and no errors. Saginaw Valley had their worst set on the year, ending with a -.023 hitting percentage, giving the Golden Eagles a quick 25-14 win.
Friesl and Vukaj heated up in set four, posting five kills each, helping the team to a 25-21 win over Minnesota-Crookston. SVSU held UMC to a zero hitting percentage, and cut their own errors in half from the previous set. This win sent Saginaw Valley into their third fifth set of the invitational.
Inside the Box Score:
- Haley Clum added 12 kills and 2 block assists, hitting a .333 from the middle. She earned Player of the Match honors for her impeccable efforts at the net.
- H. Tabit posted 49 kills and 11 digs, another double-double for the junior setter
- Three other Cardinals hit double-digit digs including Abbie Toland (17), Vukaj (13) and Peyton Gerstacker (13)
From Head Coach Will Stanton:
"We got too complacent after set one, and Crookston did a great job of taking advantage of that. They out worked us in set two and three and that is not how we are going to be successful. But we regrouped and did a good job of getting back into a rhythm in time to finish the match and the weekend."
Up Next...
The Cardinals will head down to a weekend in the sunshine state as they participate in the Barry University Classic in Miami Shores. Stay tuned for live stats and video links as they become available.
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