INDIANAPOLIS -- The Wayne State University volleyball program (10-10 overall) finished play at the 12th Annual Midwest Regional Crossover on Saturday with its third and final match.  The Warriors won over Truman State (9-13 overall) in four sets.  WSU won by set scores of 25-19, 25-21 and 25-23.

The two-day tournament features 63 matches conducted on 11 courts throughout six sessions at one of the top volleyball facilities in the country, The Academy Volleyball Club.  The event is designed to increase competition between teams from the three leagues in the NCAA Division II Midwest Region.

HOW IT HAPPENED
The Warriors led 8-4 early in the first set after a kill from Olivia Fike (North Branch, Mich.).  The WSU advantage grew to 11-5 after back-to-back Bulldog attacking errors.  TSU fought its way back and trailed 16-15 but the Green & Gold responded and led 20-17 after another point by Fike.  Wayne State won five of the final six points to win 25-19.

A kill from Kamryn Duffield (Romeo, Mich.) early in the second set made it 9-7.  The score was tied at 11-11 before the Warriors rattled off three straight points to take a 14-11.  The momentum stayed with WSU and an ace by Julia Malewicz (Macomb, Mich. / Utica Academy for International Studies / Henry Ford II) plus a kill from Madelyn Krenz (Chenoa, Ill. / Prairie Central) gave Wayne State a 17-12 advantage.  Taylor Wagner (St. Joseph, Mich. / Lakeshore) made it 20-16 with a kill of her own before WSU would go on to win 25-21.

Lauren VanderWal (Caledonia, Mich.) connected for a kill early in the third set to put WSU on top 4-1.  A point by Summer Farris (Farmington Hills, Mich. / North Farmington) pushed the home lead to 7-5.  The Bulldogs led 14-9 and 20-12 en route to a 25-19 victory to avoid the sweep.  Wayne State did pull within three at 21-18 but the comeback attempt ran out of time.

Consecutive kills from Wagner early in the fourth set staked WSU to a 6-4 lead.  However, TSU would not go away and take a 12-8 lead after a 5-1 run.  A kill by Wagner capped a 5-0 rally from the Warriors as WSU regained the lead, 15-14.  The Warriors led 18-15 after a TSU error and Farris gave WSU a 21-18 lead later in the set.  The game was tied at 23-23 but another kill from Wagner and a Bulldogs error ended the set as WSU won 25-23 and the match 3-1.

LEADING THE WARRIORS
Krenz finished with 19 kills to give her 62 kills in the three matches at the Crossover.  She hit .368 for the match.  Wagner tallied 13 kills, while Duffield finished with 52 assists.  Maddy Benoit (Farmington, Mich. / Mercy) was solid on defense, recording a team-best 20 digs.

Following the event, Duffield was named to the six-person All-Tournament Team.

UP NEXT
Wayne State hosts Ferris State on Friday at 7:00 p.m. inside the Matthaei.