FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The Spring Arbor University women's volleyball team continued its strong start to the 2026 season Friday, picking up a pair of straight-set victories on the opening day of the Onset Invitational.
The Cougars opened the day with an impressive 3-0 win over No. 20 Midland University, taking the match by scores of 25-22, 25-23 and 25-13. Spring Arbor followed with another sweep in its second match, defeating Brescia University 25-17, 25-22 and 25-11.
With the two victories, SAU improved to 6-1 on the season.
Spring Arbor's defense set the tone against Midland, which qualified for the national tournament a season ago. The Cougars held the Warriors to a .047 hitting percentage and forced 30 attacking errors while recording 11 total blocks.
Senior middle
Keely Hinzman led the effort at the net with nine blocks while adding six kills.
Natasha Bickel contributed five blocks and three kills, while
Isabelle Kirkendall paced the Cougar attack with seven kills.
Gabby Bryja directed the offense with 14 assists.
Camy Wedge led SAU defensively with 12 digs, while
Melissa Staufer and
Palmer Fortress each collected 11.
The Cougars carried the momentum into their second match of the day, rolling past Brescia in another three-set victory.
Hinzman delivered a dominant offensive performance, putting down 12 kills on just 17 attacks with no errors for a .706 hitting percentage. Kirkendall followed with nine kills and eight digs.
Wedge handed out 20 assists to lead the offense, while Staufer recorded four service aces. Fortress anchored the back row with 10 digs.
Spring Arbor will conclude play at the Onset Invitational on Saturday with two more matches. The Cougars will face Campbellsville University at 10:45 a.m. before closing the weekend against the University of Northwestern Ohio at 5 p.m.
