GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- The Wayne State University volleyball program (4-5 GLIAC) lost in three sets at Davenport (6-3 GLIAC) on Friday evening. WSU dropped set one (25-14), set two (25-12) and set three (25-20).
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Panthers were on fire early and led 8-2 to start the opening set. Davenport extended its lead to 14-6 and 19-7. The Warriors did make a late run and trimmed the deficit to 22-14 powered by kills from redshirt junior Taylor Wagner (St. Joseph, Mich. / Lakeshore) and freshman Jenna Kray (Westerville, Ohio / Worthington Christian). However, DU would capture the final three points to win 25-14 and take a 1-0 match lead.
Once again, the home team set the tone early in the second set and held onto a 9-2 advantage. WSU used a 5-1 run to pull within four, 12-8. The rally included a pair of points by redshirt junior Lauren VanderWal (Caledonia, Mich.). Davenport's lead grew to 22-11 as the Panthers would go on to win 25-12.
DU led 8-4 and 12-5 in the third set. Wayne State trailed 17-7 but showed some toughness and cut the Panthers advantage to 20-15. Aces from sophomore Maddy Benoit (Farmington, Mich. / Mercy) and sophomore Sam Palazzolo (Shelby Twp., Mich. / Utica Eisenhower) sparked the comeback attempt. Kills from VanderWal and Wagner plus a block by Kray and VanderWal made it 23-20 but Davenport would go on to complete the sweep by winning the final two points.
LEADING THE WARRIORS
VanderWal paced the offensive attack with 13 kills, while hitting .233. Wagner hit .241 and finished with 10 kills. Benoit anchored the defense with a team-high 14 digs, while junior Kamryn Duffield (Romeo, Mich.) had 26 assists.
ONE BIG THING
The Warriors hit just .084 compared to DU's .302 hitting percentage.
UP NEXT
Wayne State and Davenport will meet on Saturday at 1:00 PM.
