DETROIT, Mich. – The Saginaw Valley State University volleyball team opened GLIAC play with a statement road victory Friday night, defeating Wayne State 3-1 inside the Matthaei Center.

The Cardinals (7-2, 1-0 GLIAC) earned the 25-17, 25-22, 17-25, 25-23 victory to snap a 12-match losing streak against the Warriors. The win was SVSU's first in the series since October 4, 2019, when the Cardinals earned a five-set victory in Detroit.

Saginaw Valley hit .286 with 55 kills and surpassed .300 in each of its three set victories. Wayne State finished with 50 kills and a .220 hitting percentage.

SVSU established control early in the opening set. A three-point run with Marissa Roe (Chesterton, Ind., Chesterton HS) serving pushed the lead to 6-2 before Jackie Scheiber (Wyandotte, Mich., Riverview Community HS) highlighted another Cardinal run with an ace to make it 10-3. Wayne State never pulled closer than five the rest of the way as Roe finished the 25-17 win with a kill.

The Warriors built a 14-11 advantage in a tighter second set before SVSU scored three straight to tie the frame. Later tied at 18-18, Rachel Townsend (Oxford, Mich., Oxford HS) started a three-point run with a kill to give the Cardinals a 21-18 advantage. Taylor Smith (Pewamo, Mich., Pewamo-Westphalia Community Schools) and Scheiber each recorded late kills to finish off the 25-22 win.

Wayne State responded by hitting .343 in the third set to stay alive with a 25-17 victory.

The fourth featured 20 ties and six lead changes. Wayne State took an 18-15 lead before back-to-back Townsend kills and a Smith ace quickly tied the set.

Neither team led by more than one the rest of the way. With the score tied 23-23, Townsend delivered consecutive kills to close out the 25-23 victory and SVSU's first win over Wayne State in nearly seven years.

Townsend led the Cardinal offense with 16 kills on a .382 hitting percentage and added seven digs. Scheiber finished with 15 kills and three aces, while Roe recorded six kills and five total blocks.

Smith directed the offense with 43 assists and 12 digs for her third double-double of the season while adding five kills and an ace. Kendall White (DeWitt, Mich., St. John's HS) led the defensive effort with 15 digs.

Head coach Lana Rybkowski said after the win:

"We knew this wouldn't be an easy match, but we stayed together, kept working, and problem solved as one. A huge shoutout to our bench for their energy, communication during timeouts, and being the best teammates we could ask for. That team effort made a big difference tonight."

Up Next: Cardinal volleyball returns for its home opener Saturday, September 12. Saginaw Valley hosts Michigan Tech at 2 PM at Hamilton Gymnasium.