Volleyball Can’t Overcome Sluggish Start in Loss to UMD

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DEARBORN, Mich. — Marygrove volleyball started off slow and never recovered Wednesday (Sept. 9) in their showdown at WHAC counterpart Michigan-Dearborn, dropping the league tilt in four sets inside the Wolverines’ Field House. The setback drops the Mustangs to 1-6 overall and 0-2 in WHAC play. With the win, the Wolverines earned their first conference win under second-year head coach Eric Stark while moving to 4-7 overall in 2015.

The Mustangs struggled in set one, dropping the all-important opening stanza by a 25-15 decision. Senior captain Alixandria Pappas (St. Clair Shores, Mich./Lakeview High School) and the Mustangs battled back in set two but were outdone in the race to 25 as the Wolverines ran away with the second set, 25-17.

Staring down an 0-2 hole, the Mustangs won the do-or-die set three, 25-19, before finally succumbing to the upstart Wolverines in the fourth set, 25-20.

Ashley Murphy (Southfield, Mich./Livonia Clarenceville High School) led the Mustangs in the conference loss with a team-best 10 kills. Murphy now has 69 kills on the 2015 campaign, three less than team leader Rachel Staudt (Novi, Mich./Lawrence Tech) with 72 on the young season. Staudt slammed down nine kills Wednesday to extend her program-record start to begin the season (see infographic below – through six matches).

Setter Hayley Jury (Plymouth, Mich./Ladywood High School) and Pappas followed next with five kills each, while newcomer Brenna Donnelly (Yale, Mich./Mott Community College) recorded three converted attacks in her first action since her time at Mott in 2013.

Jury recorded 28 assists on the evening to move over 200 assists on the season.

The Wolverines were paced by Shayla Smalls with 12 kills on 33 attempts. Four other Wolverines recorded seven or more kills to lift the team to its first conference win since the 2013 season.

The Mustangs will be on the road all weekend with road matches at Northwestern Ohio on Friday (Sept. 11) and Cornerstone Saturday (Sept. 12). Match times are 7 p.m. and 1 p.m., respectively, with live video coverage available by the home institutions each day.

WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL CONTACT: Tim Johnston | [email protected]/* */ | @tjohnston56
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