No. 15 Madonna Shakes Off Slow Start, Tops Volleyball

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DETROIT — Marygrove women’s volleyball fell to 2-14 overall and 0-8 in Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) play with a 3-0 setback at the hands of the NAIA’s No. 15 team, Madonna University, on Saturday (Sept. 26) in Detroit. The Crusaders (17-3, 8-0 WHAC) swept the Mustangs to move to 17-3 on the season and 8-0 in WHAC play.

The win in Detroit for Madonna followed a Friday night triumph over Lawrence Tech where 29th year head coach Jerry Abraham picked up his 1,100th career victory.

The Mustangs dropped their second straight match in sweeping fashion and third overall since defeating NCAA Division III Finlandia (Mich.) back on Sept. 18. A five-match road trip is next for the Green and Gold, a team that will not return to play at home inside University of Detroit Jesuit High School until Oct. 14 opposite Michigan-Dearborn at 7 p.m.

After losing in straight sets a night earlier, the Mustangs bounced back with force to begin Saturday’s matinee match. The Mustangs held a 24-22 lead, placing the No. 15 Crusaders on the ropes in the opening set, but ultimately succumbed to a 4-0 Madonna run, losing 26-24 in the process.

The Crusaders committed 13 errors in the opening set compared to the Mustangs six, but the visitors’ attack was too much in the end as the Mustangs narrowly dropped the first frame.

The nation’s fifteenth-ranked team opened the match up from there, posting wins over the next two sets by 25-19 and 25-11 tallies, respectively, to sweep the Mustangs.

The Crusaders posted 55 kills in the three-set match, led by Katie Breault’s 15 converted attacks and .458 hitting percentage. Nicole Oestrike and Miranda Fuerst followed closely behind with 12 and 10 kills, respectively.

Defense was key for the Mustangs all afternoon as the back row fought off one of the best attacks’ in the nation. Sophomore libero Amber Kelly (Mt. Morris, Mich./Mt. Morris High School) led the back row effort with 15 digs while two other Mustangs, Hayley Jury and Erica Wilson, followed with four each.

Alixandria Pappas (St. Clair Shores, Mich./Lakeview High School) led the Green and Gold at the net again with one block solo and three block assists.

“We played a much improved brand of volleyball today against one of the conference’s top teams,” said Marygrove head coach Jamie Baker. “I am pleased with our effort, but we missed a huge opportunity to get out on top today in set one. We will head back to practice to improve our efforts in closing out matches as we look forward to next week’s competition.”

The Mustangs visit Lawrence Tech for a 7 p.m. conference match on Wednesday (Sept. 30) before playing two over the weekend at Siena Heights and Aquinas.

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