DETROIT -- The Wayne State University volleyball team (11-11 overall, 4-7 GLIAC) bested Northwood (4-17 overall, 4-7 GLIAC) on Saturday afternoon in four sets. The Warriors won set two (25-15), set three (28-26) and set four (25-19).
HOW IT HAPPENED
Northwood opened the match by leading 6-3 in the first set. A 3-0 run by WSU later in the game allowed the home team to tie the set at 11-11.
Kamryn Duffield (Romeo, Mich.) ended the rally with a service ace. The Timberwolves led 20-16 and would go on to win 25-21.
Olivia Fike (North Branch, Mich.) gave the Green & Gold a 7-2 advantage to begin the second set. A kill from
Lauren VanderWal (Caledonia, Mich.) made it 10-5 and
Taylor Wagner (St. Joseph, Mich. / Lakeshore) kept the five-point margin intact with a kill to give the Warriors a 15-10 lead. Wayne State evened the match at 1-1 with a 25-15 victory.
Back-to-back NU errors early in the third set gave WSU a 5-2 lead. The set went back-and-forth but Wagner gave the Warriors a 10-9 lead. The game was either tied or had a one-point margin until kills from Fike and
Summer Farris (Farmington Hills, Mich. / North Farmington) plus a visiting error gave WSU a 20-18 advantage. The set came down to the wire and required extra points as Wayne State won 28-26.
Madelyn Krenz (Chenoa, Ill. / Prairie Central) put the Warriors on top early in the third set, 4-3 after a kill. However, the Timberwolves led 11-7 later in the set. WSU used a 6-1 run to regain the lead, 14-12. The margin grew to 20-15 on a point from Fike. The Green & Gold would go on to win 25-19 and the match 3-1.
LEADING THE WARRIORS
Wagner finished with a game-high 18 kills on 40 swings to post a .300 hitting percentage. VanderWal tallied 13 kills, while Krenz had 12. Duffield was solid, dishing out 48 assists, while
Maddy Benoit (Farmington, Mich. / Mercy) anchored the defense with 17 digs.
THOUGHTS FROM COACH KOTH
"This was a good win for the Warriors today against a scrappy Northwood team. We had some really strong offensive performances that really carried us and Kamryn did a nice job again of distributing the ball. I am proud of our team."
UP NEXT
The Warriors will hit the road and play at Purdue Northwest in Hammond, Ind. on Friday. First serve is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. eastern time.