UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich. – The Saginaw Valley State University volleyball team fell to Davenport in straight sets Saturday evening inside Hamilton Gymnasium.
The Cardinals (12-5, 5-3 GLIAC) dropped the conference matchup 25-22, 25-18, and 25-18 to the Panthers (11-4, 5-3 GLIAC).
The opening set featured 15 ties as neither side was able to create much separation. SVSU used a five-point run on the serve of Kelsey Foster (Oswego, Ill., Oswego HS) to turn a 12-12 tie into a 17-12 advantage, with Ava Decker (Elkhart, Ind., Elkhart HS) contributing a solo block during the run. Davenport answered with four consecutive points to pull within one before eventually tying the set at 19-19. The teams remained even at 22-22 before the Panthers scored the final three points to take the opener, 25-22.
Saginaw Valley battled back from an early deficit in the second set, using consecutive kills from Chloe Vanwinkle (Clio, Mich., Clio High School) to tie the score at 6-6. The Cardinals later moved ahead 9-8 behind back-to-back kills from Marissa Roe (Chesterton, Ind., Chesterton HS), but Davenport responded and eventually broke a 12-12 tie with five consecutive points. The Panthers extended the lead to 21-13 before closing the set, 25-18.
The Cardinals held an early 5-4 advantage in the third before Davenport responded with five straight points to move ahead 9-5. SVSU worked its way back into the set and pulled even at 14-14 on a Decker kill. The Panthers answered with another five-point run to regain control at 19-14. Saginaw Valley got no closer than four the rest of the way as Davenport completed the sweep with another 25-18 win.
Rachel Townsend (Oxford, Mich., Oxford HS) led the Cardinals with 11 kills on a .273 hitting percentage while adding 10 digs for a double-double. Vanwinkle followed with seven kills and six digs, while Roe recorded six kills on 11 attacks for a team-best .455 hitting percentage.
Taylor Smith (Pewamo, Mich., Pewamo-Westphalia Community Schools) finished with 23 assists, seven digs, four kills, and a block assist. Kendall White (DeWitt, Mich., St. John's HS) led the defensive effort with 19 digs, while Ruby Earl (Howell, Mich., Howell HS) added eight.
Saginaw Valley finished with 37 kills and 65 digs but was held to a .128 hitting percentage. Davenport totaled 42 kills while hitting .246 and held advantages of 6-1 in service aces and 5-2 in total blocks.
Up Next: Saginaw Valley volleyball welcomes No. 16 Grand Valley State on Tuesday, October 6. The Cardinals and Lakers are set for a 6 PM first serve at the Hamilton Gymnasium
