MARION, Ind. – The Spring Arbor University volleyball team dropped its Crossroads League opener 3-0 (22-25, 16-25, 13-25) against No. 17 Indiana Wesleyan University on Wednesday night.

Sophomore Leah Rose recorded a team-high 10 kills for her fifth double-digit kill match this season. Junior Rebekah Kujat and sophomore Courtney Kyser followed with four kills apiece. Freshman Kasey Follis finished with 17 assists, which matched her season-high.

Kujat and sophomore Olivia Landis notched two aces each while sophomore Gabrielle Hilliard paced the team with eight digs. Junior Taylor Johnston added six and Follis and Rose chipped in five each.

Spring Arbor held its own against Indiana Wesleyan early. Holding a 7-6 lead in the first set, the Cougars used a quick 5-0 run highlighted by a pair of aces from Landis to jump out to a 12-6 advantage. The high-powered Wildcats fought their way back, however, tying the score at 14-14. The two teams continued to trade points, but with IWU in front 23-22, the home team tallied two straight kills to win the set. Indiana Wesleyan would carry that momentum into sets two and three en route to the straight set win.

The Cougars dipped to 3-6 on the season and 0-1 in the conference with the loss while the Wildcats improved their record to 7-2 overall and 1-0 in the league play.

Up next, Spring Arbor will return home to host Rochester College in its home opener in a non-conference match on Friday, Sept. 4 at 7 p.m.

Volleyball Contact: Chris Bauman | 517-750-6504 | christopher.bauman@arbor.edu
SAU Athletics: Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | YouTube
Volleyball: Twitter | Facebook