Volleyball 11/19/2019 9:00:00 AM Cameron Weidenthaler, Assistant Media Relations Director

Volleyball Begins Postseason at SVSU

DETROIT -- The Wayne State University volleyball program (16-11 overall, 9-7 GLIAC) will enter the postseason as the league's fifth seed and travel to fourth-seeded Saginaw Valley State (20-7 overall, 12-4 GLIAC) for a quarterfinal match at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday night.

GLIAC TOURNAMENT HISTORY
The Warriors enter the GLIAC Tournament with a 3-16 all-time record in the league playoffs. Two of those wins have come on the road (at GVSU in 2017 and at Ferris State in 2012). WSU hosted in 2010 (lost to FSU) and 2008 (beat Hillsdale, lost to GVSU).

THE FIELD
Ferris State is the top seed as the regular season GLIAC Champions and will host one of four quarterfinals. The other three teams with hosting duties are #2 Michigan Tech, #3 Ashland and #4 SVSU. Northern Michigan is the sixth seed, while Grand Valley State is seventh and Parkside is the eighth and final team in the bracket.

THE SCHEDULE
After Wednesday's four quarterfinal contests, the top remaining seed will host two semifinal matchups on Saturday plus a title game on Sunday afternoon. The tournament champion will collect the GLIAC's automatic bid for the NCAA Tournament.

SCOUTING THE CARDINALS
The Cardinals enter the postseason at 20-7 overall with a 12-4 record in the GLIAC. SVSU has won won four straight after dropping two straight at GVSU and at Ferris State. Head coach Will Stanton is in his 17th season at the helm of the program. Senior outside hitter Sarah Tabit leads the GLIAC with 441 kills (4.28/set), while junior middle hitter Emily Friesl has 278 kills (2.70/set) and sophomore outside hitter Maria Vukaj has totaled 218 kills (2.29/set). Senior setter Hannah Tabit is team's primary setter and leads the roster with 1,091 assists (10.50/set). Senior libero Abbie Toland has a team-high 445 digs (4.32/set), Friesl also is the team's top blocker with 106 total blocks (1.03/set).

LAST TIME VS. SVSU
Wayne State lost in Detroit on Oct. 4th in five sets versus SVSU. The Warriors won the first set 25-21 before dropping an exciting second set 26-24. WSU responded by winning the third set 25-19 but lost the fourth set 26-25. SVSU won the fifth set 17-15 to take the match, 3-2. Lauren VanderWal paced the offensive attack with 18 kills, while Julia Malewicz tallied 15 kills and Wagner finished with 12. Kamryn Duffield dished out 51 assists, while Benoit anchored the defense with 23 digs.

BUILDING A WINNER
Head coach Tim Koth is in his sixth season at the helm of the WSU volleyball program. He has led the Warriors to the GLIAC Tournament four straight seasons after WSU had missed the playoffs for the four seasons prior. The quarterfinal win in 2017 over GVSU in the GLIAC Tournament was the first postseason victory for WSU since 2012.

THOUGHTS FROM COACH KOTH
"I am very proud of this group - in particular - for how they have grown and developed during the course of this season. To make the tournament for the fourth straight year shows some consistency. This group worked very hard to make sure they achieved this goal by winning six straight down the stretch. They are young as a group but have really developed and hopefully are peaking at the right time."

"SVSU is very solid. They are lead by experienced seniors who compete at a very high level. The first time we played this season was a great match, where we fell just short in the fifth set. I am hopeful this match will have the same level of competitiveness from our side with a bit more execution. This is a repeat of our 2018 postseason matchup and we are hopeful for different results. They always say teams that are healthy, and playing their best at the end of the season have the best chance at postseason success and I can definitely say that we match those descriptions. We look forward to the opportunity Wednesday."

WARRIORS TO WATCH
Sophomore outside hitter Taylor Wagner (St. Joseph, Mich. / Lakeshore) leads the team with 352 kills (3.29/set) and is hitting .175. She also has 339 digs, which ranks second on the team. Wagner has 15 double-doubles on the season, including a 20-kill, 24-dig performance vs. William Jewell in the Midwest Regional Crossover on Oct. 18th. She ranks seventh in the league in kills and ninth in kills per set.

Senior outside hitter Madelyn Krenz (Chenoa, Ill. / Prairie Central) is hitting a team-best .278 with 317 kills (2.88/set). Krenz is third on the team with 69 total blocks (0.63/set). She ranks 10th in kills, 12th in blocks and 13th in hitting percentage.

Sophomore setter Kamryn Duffield (Romeo, Mich.) has dished out 1,137 assists (10.63/set). She ranks second in the GLIAC in assists and fifth in assists per set. Duffield is third on the roster with 248 digs (2.32/set).

Freshman libero Maddy Benoit (Farmington, Mich. / Mercy) leads the defense with 389 digs (3.60/set), which ranks seventh in the conference.

Junior Olivia Fike (North Branch, Mich.) lead the GLIAC in hitting percentage at .356 to gow ith 173 total kills (1.83/set). She also leads the team with 87 total blocks (0.92/set), which is fifth most the league.

NATIONAL RANKINGS
Kamryn Duffield ranks 21st in total assists and 31st in assists per set. Olivia Fike is 41st nationally in hitting percentage, while Taylor Wagner is just outside the top 50 at 51st in total attacks.

WINNING STREAK
Th Green & Gold enter the postseason winners of six straight. That's the longest winning streak since WSU won seven straight in 2016 from Sept. 24 to Oct. 14th.

UP NEXT
A Warriors victory will advance them to the semifinal round against either top-ranked Ferris State or eighth-seeded Parkside on Saturday.

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Players Mentioned

#5 Maddy Benoit: DS/L; 5' 10"; Freshman; 1

#7 Kamryn Duffield: S; 5' 10"; Sophomore; 2

#15 Olivia Fike: MB; 6' 1"; Junior; 3

#4 Madelyn Krenz: OH/OP; 6' 3"; Senior; 4

#6 Julia Malewicz: OH; 5' 10"; Junior; 3

#20 Lauren VanderWal: OH; 6' 1"; Redshirt Sophomore; 2

#11 Taylor Wagner: OH/MB; 6' 1"; Redshirt Sophomore; 2

Players Mentioned

#5 Maddy Benoit
: 5' 10"; Freshman; 1
: DS/L

#7 Kamryn Duffield
: 5' 10"; Sophomore; 2
: S

#15 Olivia Fike
: 6' 1"; Junior; 3
: MB

#4 Madelyn Krenz
: 6' 3"; Senior; 4
: OH/OP

#6 Julia Malewicz
: 5' 10"; Junior; 3
: OH

#20 Lauren VanderWal
: 6' 1"; Redshirt Sophomore; 2
: OH

#11 Taylor Wagner
: 6' 1"; Redshirt Sophomore; 2
: OH/MB