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Wayne State University Athletics

Team Celebration vs. LSSU
Wayne State topped Ashland, who was receiving votes in the latest Top 25 poll.
1
Ashland AU 22-6, 11-3 GLIAC
3
Winner Wayne State WSU 14-11, 7-7 GLIAC
Ashland AU
22-6, 11-3 GLIAC
1
Final
3
Wayne State WSU
14-11, 7-7 GLIAC
Winner
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Ashland AU 15 25 20 10 (1)
Wayne State WSU 25 16 25 25 (3)

Game Recap: Volleyball | | Cameron Weidenthaler, Assistant Media Relations Director

Volleyball Upsets Ashland in Four Sets

DETROIT -- In a rare one-match weekend, the Wayne State University volleyball program (14-11 overall, 7-7 GLIAC) shocked visiting Ashland (22-6 overall, 11-3 GLIAC) on Saturday evening.  Wayne State won the opening set (25-15) before dropping the second set (16-25).  The Warriors won the third set 25-20 and cruised past the Eagles in the fourth set 25-10.  With the victory, the Green & Gold have secure a spot in the GLIAC Tournament.

HOW IT HAPPENED
WSU set the tone early by winning the first eight points of the opening set.  The rally included two kills each from Madelyn Krenz (Chenoa, Ill. / Prairie Central) and Lauren VanderWal (Caledonia, Mich.) plus a combo block by Krenz and Summer Farris (Farmington Hills, Mich. / North Farmington).  Another block by Krenz and Olivia Fike (North Branch, Mich.) pushed the home lead to 14-2.  A service ace by Kamryn Duffield (Romeo, Mich.) made it 19-9 as AU started to chip away at the large deficit.  A point from Taylor Wagner (St. Joseph, Mich. / Lakeshore) put Wayne State ahead 24-13 and another Wagner spike ended the set, 25-15.

Ashland responded by taking 10 of the first 13 points in the second set and eventually led 16-8 and 20-10.  The Eagles would go on to win 25-16.

After the visitors won five straight points to begin the third set, WSU found its footing and tied the game at 7-7 after back-to-back solo blocks from Duffield.  An ace by Halle Shell (Port Huron, Mich. / Port Huron Northern) gave the Warriors an 11-10 advantage as the teams traded punches throughout the set.  Wayne State created some breathing room, leading 22-18 after a kill from Fike, a block by Duffield and Farris plus an AU attacking error.  VanderWal made it 23-19 and consecutive AU errors gave the Warriors a 25-20 victory.

Wayne State controlled the fourth set from the first whistle, leading 9-1 to start.  Two straight kills from Fike pushed the home lead to 16-4 before the margin grew to 15, 20-5 following a kill by VanderWal.  The Green & Gold sealed the triumph with a 25-10 win in set four.

LEADING THE WARRIORS
Wagner paced the offensive attack with 14 kills, while Fike had 13 and Krenz posted 12 kills.  VanderWal finished with 11.  Fike tallied a .600 hitting percentage on 20 swings.  Maddy Benoit (Farmington, Mich. / Mercy) anchored the defense with 21 digs and Duffield dished out 48 assists.

ONE BIG THING
The service for each team proved to be the key as Wayne State was powered bys even aces compared to Ashland's three.

THOUGHTS FROM COACH KOTH
"This was a great win and an important win for our young Warrior team.  We have been close several times against elite teams like Ashland so far this season but today we finally figured out how to play a complete match. I'm excited for and very proud of our team."

UP NEXT
Wayne State will stay at home to finish the regular season with two home matches beginning on Friday night against Davenport.  First serve is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.

 
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