UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich. – The Saginaw Valley State University volleyball team earned its 10th win of the season Thursday night, sweeping Roosevelt 3-0 inside Hamilton Gymnasium.
The Cardinals (10-3, 4-1 GLIAC) took the match 25-18, 25-19, 30-28 while holding the Lakers to a .077 hitting percentage. SVSU finished with 46 kills, eight service aces and 10 total blocks.
Saginaw Valley controlled the opening set after building an early 9-4 advantage. Back-to-back aces from Jackie Scheiber (Wyandotte, Mich., Riverview Community HS) helped the Cardinals establish the early lead before kills from Rachel Townsend (Oxford, Mich., Oxford HS) and Marissa Roe (Chesterton, Ind., Chesterton HS) helped SVSU close out the 25-18 victory.
Roosevelt jumped ahead 10-3 in the second set, but the Cardinals quickly erased the deficit. With SVSU trailing 14-10, Ava Decker (Elkhart, Ind., Elkhart HS) stepped to the service line and sparked an 11-point run that gave the Cardinals a 21-14 advantage. Decker recorded three aces during the run, while Townsend added three kills. SVSU went on to take the set 25-19.
The third set provided the closest battle of the night. SVSU led 22-16 before Roosevelt answered with six consecutive points to tie the set. The teams traded opportunities down the stretch, with the Lakers twice serving for the set at 25-24 and 28-27.
Townsend delivered a kill to even the score at 28-28 before a block from Roe and Audrey Ball (Essexville, Mich., Garber HS) put the Cardinals back in front. An attack error on the following point sealed the 30-28 win and the sweep.
Townsend led the Cardinal offense with 15 kills on a .263 hitting percentage while adding 10 digs for a double-double. Chloe Vanwinkle (Clio, Mich., Clio High School) also recorded a double-double with 11 kills, 11 digs and a .409 hitting percentage. Roe finished with six kills on 10 swings for a .400 percentage while totaling six blocks.
Freshman Makayla Bruman (Attica, Mich., Imlay City HS) handed out 24 assists with seven digs after entering during the second set, while Decker totaled three aces and four blocks. SVSU hit .228 for the match and saved its best offensive set for last, recording 21 kills and a .286 hitting percentage in the third.
Up Next: Cardinal volleyball hosts Parkside tomorrow, Saturday, September 26, for Mental Health Awareness Day. First serve is set for 2 PM at the Hamilton Gymnasium.
