FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The Spring Arbor University women's volleyball team earned a four-set road victory over the University of Saint Francis on Saturday at the Hutzell Athletic Center.
Keely Hinzman led the Cougars with 11 kills as SAU won 22-25, 25-20, 25-23, 25-15 to improve to 15-7 overall and 7-4 in the Crossroads League. Saint Francis fell to 7-16 overall and 3-8 in conference play.
Hinzman finished with a .350 hitting percentage and added three solo blocks.
Iyla Weeks contributed eight kills,
Isabelle Kirkendall finished with seven and
Natasha Bickel added six.
Camy Wedge handed out 19 assists, while
Gabby Bryja recorded a double-double with 11 assists and 11 digs.
Palmer Fortress led SAU with 15 digs and added seven assists.
After losing the first set, Spring Arbor broke a 13-13 tie in the second with a 7-1 run. Saint Francis closed within three late, but kills from Hinzman and Weeks secured the set and evened the match.
The Cougars again delivered late in a tightly contested third set. With the score tied at 23, Weeks put SAU ahead with a kill before a Saint Francis attack error gave Spring Arbor a 2-1 match lead.
SAU took control in the fourth, building an 18-9 advantage and hitting .333 with 11 kills and just three attack errors to finish the victory.
Spring Arbor held Saint Francis to an .085 hitting percentage for the match while hitting .183. The Cougars also finished with a 59-56 advantage in digs.
Spring Arbor returns home to host Grace College on Wednesday, Oct. 14, at 7 p.m. at the American 1 Credit Union Arena.
