INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – The Saginaw Valley State University volleyball team opened the 2026 season in dominant fashion Friday, sweeping both West Liberty and Thomas More on the opening day of the UIndy Invitational inside the Ruth Lilly Center.
The Cardinals (2-0) did not drop a set across their first two matches, defeating West Liberty 25-12, 25-17, 25-14 before taking down Thomas More 25-15, 25-10, 25-10. SVSU outscored its opponents 150-78 across the six sets.
Match 1: Cardinals 3, Hilltoppers 0
Saginaw Valley set the tone early against West Liberty, using a strong service game and defense at the net to cruise to its first victory of the season.
The Cardinals broke open the first set with a 10-2 run that turned an 8-5 advantage into an 18-7 lead. Rachel Townsend (Oxford, Mich., Oxford HS) and Marissa Roe (Chesterton, Ind., Chesterton HS) both recorded two kills during the stretch before Chloe Vanwinkle (Clio, Mich., Clio High School) closed out the 25-12 victory with back-to-back service aces.
SVSU faced its closest test of the match early in the second. The teams were tied five times through the opening 14 points before the Cardinals took control. Leading 10-9, Taylor Smith (Pewamo, Mich., Pewamo-Westphalia Community Schools) sparked an 9-0 run from the service line that included three aces along with kills from Jackie Scheiber (Wyandotte, Mich., Riverview Community HS) and Townsend. The surge pushed the advantage to 19-9 before Saginaw Valley finished off the set, 25-17.
The Cardinals quickly established control again in the third. Roe served during a seven-point run that broke a 3-3 tie to put SVSU ahead 10-3, recording two aces during the stretch. SVSU later pushed its advantage to 23-10 before closing out the sweep with a 25-14 win.
Saginaw Valley held West Liberty to a -.080 hitting percentage while hitting .236 with 37 kills. The Cardinals also recorded 12 service aces and eight total blocks.
Townsend and Scheiber paced the offense with nine kills apiece, with Townsend adding a match-high 14 digs. Vanwinkle finished with six kills and three aces.
Smith made an immediate impact in her Cardinal debut, totaling 30 assists, five service aces, four kills and three block assists. Roe contributed four kills, two aces and six total blocks, including one solo block.
Match 2: Cardinals 3, Saints 0
The Cardinals were even more efficient in their second match of the day, hitting .341 as a team while limiting Thomas More to a -.066 hitting percentage.
The Saints remained within striking distance early in the opening set, trailing just 16-13 before Saginaw Valley pulled away. Scheiber took over from the service line as the Cardinals scored seven consecutive points to build a 23-13 advantage. Vanwinkle recorded four kills during the run while Scheiber added two aces, helping SVSU take the opener 25-15.
Saginaw Valley turned a 9-8 advantage in the second set into a runaway victory behind another lengthy service run. Smith served as the Cardinals scored 12 straight points, contributing three aces during the stretch while Scheiber added four kills. The run forced both of Thomas More's timeouts and gave SVSU a 21-8 lead before closing out with four of the next six points.
There was little doubt in the third. The Cardinals scored five straight points to open the set and later put together an eight-point run behind Townsend's serve to build a 13-1 advantage. SVSU never allowed the Saints closer than 10 points the rest of the way and completed its second sweep of the day with another 25-10 win.
Scheiber led the Cardinals with 14 kills on a .400 hitting percentage while adding three aces, four block assists and seven digs. Vanwinkle followed with nine kills while hitting .438. Ava Decker (Elkhart, Ind., Elkhart HS) was error-free offensively, recording five kills on 10 attempts for a .500 hitting percentage.
Smith added 24 assists and four aces, giving her nine service aces and 54 assists across her first two matches as a Cardinal. Kendall White (DeWitt, Mich., St. John's HS) and Townsend each recorded 10 digs against the Saints, while Roe contributed five total blocks.
As a team, Saginaw Valley finished the second match with 41 kills against just 10 attacking errors while recording nine aces and seven total blocks.
Up Next: Cardinal volleyball returns to the Ruth Lilly Center on Saturday, August 29, with two more matches. SVSU squares off against Walsh at 9 AM and the hosts, UIndy, at 2 PM.
