Volleyball Earns First WHAC Win of 2015, Tops UMD 3-1

STAY CONNECTED: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube
BE THE FIRST TO KNOW: Text & Email Alerts
DOWNLOAD OUR APPS: iOS (iPhone/iPad) | Android

DETROIT — Marygrove volleyball broke free of a season-long WHAC funk on Wednesday (Oct. 14), topping Michigan-Dearborn in four sets to earn the team’s first league win of the 2015 campaign. The Mustangs won the four-set WHAC contest on their annual “pink out” night in support of breast cancer, treating the home fans to a four-set victory inside Detroit Jesuit High School as the Green and Gold moved to 3-19 overall and 1-12 in conference action.

The visiting Wolverines ended the night with a 6-18 record and a 1-12 mark in WHAC play.

Balanced, strong play from the outset led to a 25-15 Marygrove win in set one – the Mustangs first set-one victory in conference play since Sept. 30 at Lawrence Tech. The Mustangs slammed down 11 kills as part of a .233 hitting percentage in the first set to earn the 10-point victory while the Wolverines countered with an eight-kill, seven-error frame. The Wolverines error-laden set ended in a .029 hitting percentage, allowing the Mustangs to run away with the momentum and a 1-0 lead in the match.

A match-high 15 kills in set two gave the Mustangs a commanding two-sets-to-none lead behind a .500 hitting percentage in the frame. Despite the sizeable 2-0 lead, the Mustangs allowed the Wolverines to get back in the match, losing set three 25-10 to set up more volleyball in Detroit.

The Mustangs squeaked out a set-four win, 25-21, as Brenna Donnelly (Yale, Mich./Mott CC) and Rachel Staudt (Novi, Mich./Lawrence Tech) helped cement the Green and Gold’s first WHAC win of the season. Donnelly and Staudt each tallied a match-high 10 kills in the four-set contest.

For Donnelly, the 10-kill match was one of her best in a Mustang uniform as the junior put together an efficient night with a team-high .400 hitting percentage. Staudt followed closely with a .261 hitting percentage and a team-high tying five blocks.

Paige Hughes (Belleville, Mich./Huron High School) recorded five blocks and five kills as she continues to work her way back from injury while senior captain Alixandria Pappas (St. Clair Shores, Mich./Lakeview High School) checked in with another solid outing, slamming down eight kills to go along with one block assist on the night.

Erica Wilson (Warren, Mich./Macomb CC) was solid in the back row for the Mustangs en route to a match-best 18 digs, passing the ball to Amber Staudt (Novi, Mich./Schoolcraft College) who set up the attack with 22 assists to lead all setters.

The Mustangs recorded 41 kills on the night, three more than Wolverines, and worked their way to 61 digs compared to the opposition’s 47.

UP NEXT: Fourth-year head coach Jamie Baker and the Mustangs host Saturday’s (Oct. 17) WHAC Crossover at Lawrence Tech. Match times are 12 p.m. and 3 p.m. with live stats available on marygrovemustangs.com/live all afternoon.

WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL CONTACT: Tim Johnston | [email protected]/* */ | @tjohnston56
MARYGROVE BROADCASTS: The Mustang Sports Network (MSN) | MSN Twitter
WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL: Twitter