Fort Wayne, Indiana - Starting the 2022 season at the Onset Invitational hosted by Saint Francis (Ind.), the Siena Heights Women's Volleyball team split on day one. First playing Indiana Northwest in a 2:00 p.m. match, the Saints fell 3-2. However, they bounced back in game two, sweeping Oakland City in straight sets.
Game 1: SHU vs. Indian Northwest
Leading Siena in game one was Taylor Wegener, a transfer from Saginaw Valley State, making her debut with ten kills, two assists, and seven digs. Returning Sophomore Olivia Norman boasted ten kills and one assist, while Kinsey Wagner brought in 11 kills. All combined for a total of 31 of the team's 51 kills during the five-set match. Junior Aubrey Bates started the new season off strong by collecting 38 assists in the match, three digs, and two kills.
SHU dropped set one in a close 25-21 game but reclaimed set two, tying up the score. The third set saw Northwest take an early lead with multiple service runs while limiting Siena to only 17 points in the set. Not to be counted out, the Saints returned the favor beating the Red Hawks 25-17 thanks to a long service run from Claire VanDyke to end the set. All tied up at two a piece, the battle for the fifth set began with a SHU lead until the 12-point mark when Indiana Northwest took the momentum and ended the set 17-15 and the match 3-2.
Game 2: SHU vs. Oakland City
Taylor Wegener amped up her game for the sweep against Oakland City, tallying 13 kills and a kill percentage of .706 after going 13-17. Wegener matched her kills with digs as well as two assists. Freshman Devyne Eisenhauer put down seven kills going 7-8 to hold a kill percentage of .750, along with two digs. Setter Aubrey Bates dished 23 assists while picking up three kills and two digs.
Set one saw a big Saints victory with a score of 25-12 which only foreshadowed the outcome of the game which was a SHU victory to split the day and become 1-1 for the season. The win was thanks to long-serving runs from Payton Osborne in set one, Kinsey Wagner in set two, and Lyndsey Benschoter in set three.
Up Next:
The Saints prepare for day two of the Onset Invitational where they will play Huntington at 9:00 AM and Grace at 1:00 PM.
