MOUNT VERNON, Ohio – The Spring Arbor University volleyball team kicked off the weekend with a hard-fought, five-set victory over Mount Vernon Nazarene University on Friday night.
The Cougars battled back after dropping the first set to claim their 11th win of the season and move to 11-5 overall and 2-4 in the Crossroads League.
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Spring Arbor def. Mount Vernon Nazarene 3-2 (23-25, 28-26, 25-20, 17-25, 15-11)
LOCATION: Ariel Arena | Mount Vernon, Ohio
RECORDS: Spring Arbor 11-5 (2-4 CL), Mount Vernon Nazarene 7-7 (0-5 CL)
MATCH HIGHLIGHTS
- Spring Arbor held a 19-14 lead in the first set, but Mount Vernon Nazarene would erase that deficit, ending the frame on an 11-4 run to claim the opening set.
- The Cougars bounced back, however, winning the next two sets, including a thrilling 28-26 battle in set two.
- MVNU took the fourth frame to force a winner-take-all fifth set. The home team lead 7-6 midway through, but three straight attack errors put SAU in front. Then, back-to-back kills from Macey Rupp gave the Cougars a commanding lead. Two straight kills from Sydney Ritz would clinch the match for Spring Arbor.
- Ritz finished with a career-high 20 kills while hitting at a .415 clip. Rupp followed with 11 kills, Claudia Ellis had nine and Alison Ford ended the night with eight. Annica Stotz directed the offense with a season-high 37 assists and added a service ace.
- Sophomore libero Stephaney Fifield picked up a match-high 23 digs. Two other Cougars also finished with double-digit digs with Stotz recording 11 and Olivia Slenk collecting 10. Kyara Black and Ellis were a force at the net with seven and four blocks, respectively.
UP NEXT
Spring Arbor visits Taylor University (5-8, 2-4 CL) on Saturday, Sept. 15. First serve is set for 3 p.m.
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