Newsfeed
Printer-Friendly ModeSpikers earn split over weekend
VBall dominates Findlay before loss to Ashland
October 8, 2007 —
While the road to the GLIAC was smooth for SVSU's spikers - the team went 11-2 in non-conference competition to open the season - the Cards have since gone 4-6 in a bumpy run through the GLIAC, including two lopsided decisions this weekend: the Cards dominated Findlay, sweeping all three games and were dominated by Ashland, losing three straight and hitting a meager .091.
The squad defeated the Oilers handily by scores of 30-15, 30-19, and 30-25. Sophomore setter Kait Harris led the team with 18 assists, many of them to sophomore Allison Schlinkert, who tallied 19 kills on the evening. Sophomore defensive specialist Carmen Schacher led the team's defense with 18 digs, although junior outside hitter Sarah Redoute trailed close behind with 16 digs.
Findlay couldn't get the offense going all night, and hit just .038 as team, all while logging 27 errors during the match. SVSU took advantage of the Oilers' anemic offense, using a two-setter offense to confound Findlay's hapless defense and record 44 kills on the evening.
The loss drops Findlay to 14-8 on the season, and 3-5 in the GLIAC. The loss is Findlay's fourth straight.
The Cards had much more trouble with Ashland, however, losing 30-25, 30-13, and 30-21 Saturday afternoon. Ashland blasted the Cards all night, hitting .316 to the SVSU's .091 while recording 51 kills on the night.
The Cards were competitive in the first set, hitting .206 compared to Ashland's .308, and logging 14 kills. The rest of the match was ceremonial, however, as the Eagles ran away with set two 30-13 and dominated set three 30-21. The second set proved to be the deciding factor. In the rout, the Cards recorded eight errors to six kills, posting a hitting percentage of -.083. The squad couldn't recover for the last game, falling behind 11 points, only able to steal two points from the Eagles' lead.
Redoute led SVSU with seven kills and also posted five digs, second behind Harris, who logged six.
The win brings the Eagles to 18-3 on the season and 7-2 in the GLIAC, which is becoming an increasingly suffocating conference for SVSU: at 4-6, the Cards must finish at least four of their next eight to finish at .500 on a once-promising season.
The spikers will spend next weekend in Pennsylvania, taking on Mercyhurst and Gannon on the road before returning to Michigan on Oct. 19 to face Northwood in Midland. Then they will return to Cardinal Gym for a three-game homestand during the weekend of Oct. 26, facing Northern, Lake Superior State, and Michigan Tech before heading off to Big Rapids and then to Allendale to finish the season against Ferris State and GVSU.