MIDLAND, Mich.- The Saginaw Valley State University volleyball team went on the road Tuesday night and earned their second sweep of Northwood in 2026, winning sets 25-14, 25-21, and 25-18. The Cardinals (12-3, 5-1 GLIAC) never trailed the Timberwolves (4-10, 2-4 GMAC) in the second and third sets.
SVSU and Northwood went back-and-forth early in the first set. With the set tied at eight, the Cardinals went on a four-point run to take a 12-8 lead, highlighted by two kills from
Rachel Townsend (Oxford, Mich., Oxford HS). Three points later, a Northwood service error sparked another run for SVSU, this time giving the Cardinals six straight points and a 19-10 lead.
Kendall White (DeWitt, Mich., St. John's HS) picked up a kill and two aces during the run. Saginaw Valley State took the first set, 25-14. The Cardinals stifled Northwood's runs with a side-out percentage of 86.7% and recorded a hitting percentage of .308.
Taylor Smith (Pewamo, Mich., Pewamo-Westphalia Community Schools) opened the second set with a service ace to put SVSU up early. The Cardinals had four runs of 3+ points during the set. The Timberwolves got within two points late in the set, but kills from Smith and
Marissa Roe (Chesterton, Ind., Chesterton HS) put the Cardinals at set point before an attack error on Northwood gave SVSU the set victory.
Chloe Vanwinkle (Clio, Mich., Clio High School) picked up five kills during the second set. They took a 2-0 lead in the match with a 25-21 win.
The Cardinals got off to a hot start in set three, taking an early 7-1 lead and forcing a Northwood timeout. The Timberwolves battled back to make the score 10-7. However, SVSU rattled off four straight points on two kills from
Ava Decker (Elkhart, Ind., Elkhart HS) and one from Roe and Smith to make it 14-7. Saginaw Valley State scored the final three points on two Northwood errors and a service ace by
Ruby Earl (Howell, Mich., Howell HS). The Cardinals took set three, 25-18, and held the Timberwolves to a .054 hitting percentage to secure the 3-0 sweep.
SVSU had 10 service aces while only allowing three. Townsend led the team in kills with 11, White led the team in digs with nine while co-leading the team in aces with two, along with Earl and Smith. Smith also had an impact with her team-high 26 assists. As a team, the Cardinals held a higher hitting percentage across the match at .260 compared to Northwood's .120.
This is the first time since 2018 that the Cardinals have earned a multi-match season sweep of the Timberwolves. Tonight's sweep also marks the first time that SVSU has swept Northwood in multiple matches in the same season, having done so earlier in the year on September 4 during the Grand Rapids Downtown Classic.
UP NEXT: The Cardinals face a major test as they travel to face #1 Ferris State, who is 14-0 and has swept 13 of their opponents. First serve is set for 5:00 PM on Friday, October 2 at the Ewigleben Sports Arena in Big Rapids, Michigan.
