Volleyball falls just short in two conference matchups

This past Friday on Nov. 4, Saginaw Valley State University volleyball fought in a competitive game against GLIAC leader Ferris State University.

The Cardinals and the Bulldogs battled back and forth in an intense four matches that ended in 25-18, 18-25, 25-23, and 25-14. The Cardinals fall to 5-12 in the conference and 10-18 overall.

Madison Thompson, sophomore hitter, hit the boards once again with an impressive offensive performance. She scored 15 points for the Cardinals through her attacks, and Patricia Pratt was close behind.

Patricia Pratt, senior outside hitter, managed to secure 12 kills throughout the four sets. This was a career high as Pratt had next to no errors throughout her efforts. She topped the net off nicely with an additional five blocks.

The Cardinals held FSU at bay with strongly placed attacks and few service errors. The Bulldogs led the first match, but the momentum remained strong on the Cardinal’s end as they managed to pull out the second set.

Although the Cardinals’ offense remained strong, Ferris State’s attack percentages overpowered the Cardinals (Bulldogs at .269 and Cardinals at .227). The fourth set was a battle for points, as both teams remained within two points of each other until the set finished.

In its second away game this weekend, Cardinal volleyball traveled to Grand Valley State University for its final game of the week at 4 p.m.

GVSU hosted the Cardinals for this GLIAC matchup and the four sets ended at 24-26, 25-18, 26-24, and 25-18. This led the Cardinals to drop to 10-19 overall and 5-13 in the conference.

Madison Thompson once again showed up strong with a double-double of 21 kills and 13 digs. She finished this off with four blocks. Rylee Zimmer, sophomore hitter, followed in this fashion with her own double double of 10 kills and 12 digs.

The Cardinals started off strong while maintaining a 2 point lead over GVSU. Peyton Gerstacker, senior setter, went off the charts with an impressive 32 assists and 10 digs. This Cardinal captain was close to a triple double and helped set up a strong offense for the Cardinals.

Overall, SVSU rose to 20 blocks during the game, which is a close second to the NCAA Division II high.

In the second set, the Cardinals and Lakers traded point for point and tied it 9-9. A Cardinal service error allowed the Lakers to steal the momentum and finish out the set with a win.

This point for point battle continued on into the third set as the Valley rivals took a slow advantage over one another each play.

The Cardinals sat at 18-20 and then 22-20. The Lakers scored the final points with three strong kills, and SVSU could not regain its footing after the Laker offense took off.

The Cardinals will play Northern Michigan University in a seed matchup on Wednesday, Nov. 9.

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