HAMMOND, Ind. – The Saginaw Valley State University volleyball team concluded play at the Midwest Region Crossover with a 3-0 loss to Drury on Saturday at the Hammond Sportsplex.

The Cardinals (14-8, 6-4 GLIAC) fell by scores of 25-22, 25-21 and 25-17 to finish the weekend with a 1-2 record.

Drury opened the first set with an 8-3 advantage before Saginaw Valley answered with six of the next seven points. Chloe Vanwinkle (Clio, Mich., Clio High School) started the run with a kill and later added an ace, while Jackie Scheiber (Wyandotte, Mich., Riverview Community HS) recorded two kills and Taylor Smith (Pewamo, Mich., Pewamo-Westphalia Community Schools) added another to tie the set at 9-9.

The Panthers rebuilt their advantage to 20-15 before SVSU made another push. The Cardinals pulled within 20-18 and later fought off two set points behind kills from Finley Helm (Mount Pleasant, Mich., Mount Pleasant HS) and Smith, cutting the deficit to 24-22. Drury answered with a kill to close the opening set, 25-22.

Saginaw Valley scored the first three points of the second set, but the teams remained close throughout the early stages. Drury broke a 10-10 tie with four consecutive points and eventually stretched its advantage to 19-13. The Cardinals continued to battle and pulled within three at 24-21 before the Panthers finished the set with a kill.

The third set featured five early ties before Drury created separation with a 6-2 stretch to take a 15-9 lead. SVSU cut the deficit to four at 19-15, but the Panthers scored six of the final eight points to secure the 25-17 set and complete the sweep

Rachel Townsend (Oxford, Mich., Oxford HS) led the Cardinal attack with 12 kills while adding eight digs and an ace. Vanwinkle finished with nine kills, nine digs and an ace, while Scheiber totaled seven kills and a team-high 10 digs.

Smith contributed across the board with five kills on eight attempts for a .625 hitting percentage, 25 assists, nine digs, two aces and two block assists. Kendall Ihm (Owosso, Mich., Owosso HS) added three kills and two block assists.

Saginaw Valley finished with 42 kills and hit .202 for the match. Drury recorded 50 kills while hitting .348, including a .385 mark in the final set.

Up Next: The Cardinals return to GLIAC play on Friday, October 23, with a road match at Roosevelt. First serve between SVSU and RU is set for 7 PM at the Goodman Center in Chicago, Illinois.