UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich. – The Saginaw Valley State University volleyball team fell 3–1 to Davenport University on Friday night at Hamilton Gymnasium, despite a career performance from sophomore Finley Helm (Mount Pleasant, Mich. / Mount Pleasant HS), who recorded her first career double-double with 18 kills and 10 digs — both career highs.
The Cardinals (6–11, 1–7 GLIAC) dropped the match by scores of 24–26, 21–25, 25–21, and 18–25. Helm's 18 kills came on a .255 hitting percentage, while she added one block assist. Ava Decker (Elkhart, Ind. / Elkhart HS) followed with 10 kills, two aces, and four block assists. Rachel Townsend (Oxford, Mich. / Oxford HS) finished with eight kills and a team-high 25 digs, adding one ace and three block assists. Ruby Earl (Howell, Mich. / Mott Community College) tallied eight kills, 10 digs, and three blocks, while Marissa Roe (Valparaiso, Ind. / Chesterton HS) contributed five blocks and four kills. Jackie Scheiber (Wyandotte, Mich. / Riverview Community HS) led the offense with 41 assists, an ace, and seven digs, while Elizabeth Bruschuk (Villa Park, Ill. / Willowbrook HS) added 18 digs and two aces from the back row.
SVSU totaled 50 kills on .192 hitting with six aces, 73 digs, and nine team blocks. Davenport hit .256 with 61 kills, five aces, and two blocks.
Set One (24–26)
The opener featured 12 ties and six lead changes. Helm tallied five early kills as the Cardinals rallied from a 10–6 deficit to take a 19–16 lead on a kill by Decker. After Davenport tied it at 21–21, SVSU staved off two set points but fell 26–24 following consecutive kills from the Panthers.
Set Two (21–25)
The Cardinals' offense was efficient, hitting .194 with 10 kills to stay close throughout as set two featured 11 ties and three lead changes. Townsend and Helm combined for seven kills as SVSU held a 16–13 advantage late, but Davenport once again surged to close the frame on a 7–3 run to go up 2–0.
Set Three (25–21)
SVSU responded with its best set of the night, hitting .400 with 17 kills and only one error. Helm paced the offense with six kills in the frame, while Decker and Townsend added four apiece. The Cardinals led wire-to-wire, jumping out 6–3 and extending the margin to 18–13 on a Decker ace before closing it 25–21.
Set Four (18–25)
The Panthers took early control, building an 11–5 lead after back-to-back kill. SVSU fought back within 11-10 and 15–13 after four kills by Helm. However, a 7–1 Davenport run put the set out of reach as the Panthers closed 25–18.
Up Next: Saginaw Valley heads on the road to the Midwest Regional Crossover next week on October 17 and 18. The GLIAC, G-MAC, and GLVC all compete in Hammond, Indiana.
