The Saginaw Valley State University volleyball team traveled to the upper peninsula, where they played Lake Superior State University in their first GLIAC match of the season Thursday, Sept. 19.
The first set of the match was a close battle between the Lakers and the Cards. The first few points of the set went back and forth, but the Cardinals pulled ahead with a 6-point lead. Lake State was able to rally back, tying the score 18-18. Each team battled back and forth until the score hit 25-25. Ultimately, the Lakers took the set winning 25-27.
The set started off slow for the Cards as the Lakers had a 6-1 run. Towards the end of the match, the Cardinals were able to fight back, tying the game 18-18 once again. The Lakers gained a small lead, and the Cardinals were unable to come back. The second set went to Lake State, with the Cardinals falling just shy again with a score of 23-25.
The third match started strong for the Cardinals, where they were able to pull ahead by 3 points. The Lakers covered up this deficit with an 8-2 run. The Cardinals came within two points of the Lakers but were unable to make a comeback in the third set with a score of 12-25.
Although they may not have come on top with the win, there were still many stats added to the sheet. On the offensive side of things, the leader in kills went to senior outside hitter Sarah Veale with 12. Additionally, freshman setter Jackie Scheiber led the team with nine assists, and freshman middle hitter Ava Decker had three blocks on the night.
On the defensive side of things, the leader in digs was Veale once again. She came away with 8 digs. Senior outside hitter Sedona Coon came in a close second with seven digs, while senior defensive specialist Natalie Siler picked up five digs. Overall, the Cards had 35 points, 28 kills, two aces, five blocks, 18 assists, and 36 digs.
Not only was this the team’s first GLIAC match of the season, but it was also the first conference game they had with new head coach Lana Rybkowski. Previously, Rybkowski was the assistant coach at Northwood University for seven years.
The Cards are just getting started with their season, as this is only the eighth game of the year. There will be plenty of games ahead as their season finishes up in November. In the span of three months, this team will take on 26 games. The Cards will be back in action for their home opener and second conference match on Sept. 21 where they will face Roosevelt at home.
