HOUGHTON, Mich. – The Saginaw Valley State University volleyball program started their final weekend of the 2025 season with a road match against Michigan Tech. The Cardinals (8-19, 2-13 GLIAC) fell 3-1 to the Huskies with set scores of 23-25, 15-25, 25-23, and 24-26.

SVSU hit .118 with 48 kills, eight aces, 11 blocks, and 79 digs. Rachel Townsend (Oxford, Mich. / Oxford HS) led the team with 17 kills and 10 digs for a double-double. Kendall White (DeWitt, Mich. / St. John's HS) led the team in digs with 22. Marissa Roe (Valparaiso, Ind. / Chesterton HS) had a big performance at the net with nine block assists while adding three kills. Ava Beard (Berkley, Mich. / Berkley HS), Cola Sisk (Lake Fenton, Mich / Lake Fenton HS), and Ruby Earl (Howell, Mich. / Howell HS) all had double digit digs with 12, 11, and 10 respectively.

Set One (23-25)

The set was highly contested as neither side had more than a two-point lead until SVSU led 20-17. A 5-0 run for the Cardinals with two kills by Chloe Vanwinkle (Clio, Mich. / Clio HS) and two by Townsend pushed SVSU ahead by four. The Huskies used a 6-0 run to get back into the set and take a 23-21 lead before taking the set by two points.

Set Two (15-25)

The second set was the only lopsided set. SVSU took an early 5-2 lead with kills by Roe and Emily Foster (Ferndale, Mich. / Ferndale HS), but MTU pushed ahead and took an 8-7 lead they would never give up. A 9-1 run late expanded the Michigan Tech lead to 10. Saginaw Valley chipped away but couldn't claw their way back.

Set Three (25-23)

The Huskies took the early lead as they looked to sweep SVSU, but the Cardinals used a couple of mid-set runs to come back. Earl and Sisk teamed up for back-to-back kills in a 4-0 run before errors plagued the Huskies during a 5-0 run that cut the lead to 20-19 for MTU. A 6-2 run with back-to-back kills by Townsend and Roe claimed the set for Saginaw Valley.

Set Four (24-26)

Yet another tight set as Saginaw Valley had the largest lead late with a 20-16 edge. A 6-0 run early flipped it in favor of SVSU with Earl getting a kill and an ace to put the Cardinals ahead 12-10. Michigan Tech took a slim lead before a 7-1 run brought us to the aforementioned 20-16 lead for the Cardinals. The Huskies were too much for Saginaw Valley however, taking 10 of the last 14 points to win the match.

Up Next: Saginaw Valley wraps up the season with one more road match on Saturday, November 15. The Cardinals head to Northern Michigan and are scheduled for first serve at 3:00 PM from Vandament Arena in Marquette, Mich.