SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. – The Saginaw Valley State University volleyball team opened its Upper Peninsula road trip with a 3-1 victory over Lake Superior State Friday night at the Bud Cooper Gymnasium.
The Cardinals (8-3, 2-1 GLIAC) took the opening two sets 25-15 and 27-25 before the Lakers claimed the third 25-23. Saginaw Valley responded with a 25-21 victory in the fourth to secure the match.
Jackie Scheiber (Wyandotte, Mich., Riverview Community HS) posted career highs in kills and digs, leading the match with 23 kills and 20 digs for second double-double of the season. She had three attack errors on 45 total attempts for a hitting percentage of .444.
SVSU controlled the opening set from the start, racing out to a 10-1 advantage behind an early serving run from Rachel Townsend (Oxford, Mich., Oxford HS). The Cardinals got kills by four different players and an ace by Townsend over the run. SVSU hit .355 with 13 kills in the frame, while holding Lake Superior State to a .031 hitting percentage on the way to the 25-15 win.
The Lakers built a 21-15 advantage in the second before Saginaw Valley mounted a late comeback. The Cardinals fought off set point at 24-21 as Ruby Earl (Howell, Mich., Howell HS), Taylor Smith (Pewamo, Mich., Pewamo-Westphalia Community Schools) and Scheiber helped fuel the rally. Scheiber's kill gave SVSU its first lead of the set at 25-24 before Smith delivered a kill and followed with an ace to finish the 27-25 comeback victory.
Lake Superior State responded in a back-and-forth third set that featured eight ties. SVSU held a 22-21 advantage late, but the Lakers scored four of the final five points to extend the match with a 25-23 win.
The Cardinals trailed 11-9 in the fourth before Earl took over from the service line. She recorded three aces on four serves over a five-point run that pushed SVSU ahead 14-11. Lake Superior State eventually pulled even at 20-20, but Scheiber answered with three consecutive kills as the Cardinals reclaimed control. Scheiber added the final two kills of the match to close out the 25-21 victory.
Scheiber led the Cardinal offense with a season-high 23 kills while hitting .444 and added 20 digs for a double-double. Chloe Vanwinkle (Clio, Mich., Clio High School) finished with 12 kills and 13 digs, while Earl recorded seven kills, four aces and 15 digs. Smith dished out 33 assists to go with nine digs and five kills, while Kendall White (DeWitt, Mich., St. John's HS) added 15 digs and seven assists.
Saginaw Valley finished with 60 kills and hit .220 for the match while holding Lake Superior State to 36 kills and a .140 hitting percentage. The Cardinals also held advantages in digs, 88-69, and service aces, 9-8.
Up Next: Volleyball wraps up the U.P. road trip with a match tomorrow, Saturday, September 19, with Northern Michigan. The Cardinals and Wildcats have first serve at 4 PM in the Vandement Arena in Marquette, Michigan.
