SPRING ARBOR, Mich. – The Spring Arbor University volleyball team suffered back-to-back setbacks against Mount Vernon Nazarene University and Taylor University on Friday and Saturday.
The Cougars fell to MVNU 3-0 (25-22, 25-18, 25-18) before dropping a three-set match to Taylor (25-19, 25-19, 25-19).
SAU started hot against Mount Vernon (11-4, 4-3 CL), jumping out to a quick lead. However, the hosts would rally back to escape with a three-point win in the opening set before taking sets two and three to complete the sweep.
Sophomore Rebekah Kujat and freshman Courtney Kyser paced the attack with seven and six kills, respectively. Junior Emily Verhage and freshman Olivia Landis chipped in four apiece. Freshman Gabrielle Hilliard and sophomore Laura Hardy distributed 20 assists on the Cougars' 28 kills while fellow freshman Leah Rose finished with a pair of aces. Rose also picked up 10 digs and senior Lyndsay Murray finished with 16.
The Cougars looked to bounce back against third-place Taylor (12-4, 4-3 CL) the following afternoon inside the SAU Fieldhouse.
For the second day in a row, SAU would hold their own against the one of the Crossroads League's best offensive teams, trading blows with the Trojans. The Cougars trailed 17-14 late in the opening set, but kills from Landis and Verhage fueled a 4-1 run to even the score at 18-18. However, TU would end the frame on a run of their own, scoring seven of the next eight points to take the opener.
The Cougars were undeterred though, coming right back in the second set and pushing Taylor to a 14-14 game. The firepower of the Trojans proved to be too much, however, as a lengthy run by directed by the conference's top setter Julia Willey led the visitors to a two set advantage.
Not going away easily, SAU came out in the third set trading points again with Taylor, battling to 13-13. However, the Trojans were finally able to pull away late eventually winning the set 25-19.
Rose slammed down a team-high eight kills to lead the Cougars while Landis, Kyser and Kujat all recorded six each. Hilliard and Hardy handed out 14 assists apiece. Murray and Rose anchored the defense with 19 and 10 digs, while Kyser finished with three blocks.
Up next, Spring Arbor will host the University of Saint Francis on Friday, Sept. 26 at 7 p.m. before playing 10 of their next 11 matches on the road.
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