ADRIAN, Mich. -- The Siena Heights women's volleyball team hung tough to beat Indiana Tech in five sets after the Warriors rallied from a 2-0 deficit to force the fifth set. Eriona Chambers (Flint, Mich.) led the Saint attack with 16 kills in the conference win.
THE BASICS
Final Score: Siena Heights 3, Indiana Tech 2 (29-27, 25-19, 21-25, 25-15, 17-15)
Location: Adrian, Michigan (SHU Fieldhouse)
Records: Siena Heights (10-13, 7-9 WHAC), Indiana Tech (23-8, 11-6 WHAC)
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Warriors took an early 9-4 lead in the opening set. The Saints battled back to tie things up a 12. With things tied against at 16, Siena gained a 20-17 advantage. Indiana Tech kept things close and eventually tied the score at 22. The teams traded points all the way up to a 27-27 deadlock. A kill by Chambers followed by a service ace by Alli Conly (Linden, Mich.) gave Siena the 29-27 win and a 1-0 lead.
The score remained close early in the second set before the Saints were able to build a six-point lead (19-13). The Warriors cut the deficit to three points (21-18) but could catch the Saints before they were facing a 2-0 deficit.
Siena kept the hammer down in the beginning of the third, jumping out to a 15-10 advantage. A 7-0 run by the visitors would see the Saint lead dwindle and the Warriors would take a two-point lead (17-15). Indiana Tech would keep the lead and pull out a 25-21 decision to stay alive for a fourth set.
The Warriors came out hot in set four by rattling off 10 of the first 12 points in the set. The Saints were never able to dig themselves out of the early hole and Tech would win 25-15 to force a decisive fifth set.
The score remained tight through the final set of the match as neither team could pull further ahead than a few points all the way to a tie at 14. Again, the teams would trade points in extras until Siena scored three-straight points to pull out the 17-15 win and take the match.
TOP SAINTS
• Chambers added three blocks to her stat line as she was a factor in the win.
• Janel Ruhlman (North Branch, Mich.) finished just behind Chambers with 15 kills. She also added four service aces, eight digs, and a block.
• Carrigan Gray (Bowling Green, Ohio) was five kills short of a triple-double as she paced the Saint offense with 50 assists while also helping on defense with 16 digs.
• Anna Tartarian (Monroe, Mich.) had a match-high 25 digs to lead the defensive effort.
• Karsyn Wolf (Temperance, Mich.) registered 13 digs.
THE OPPOSITION
• Jordan Aylward had a match-high 30 kills to lead the Warriors in the losing effort.
• Olivia Niekamp and Allison Cole each had 13 and 12 kills respectively.
• Madison Park finished with 46 assists and 11 digs.
• Madyson Cardinal led the defense with 21.
UP NEXT
The Saints remain at home to host Aquinas on Friday, November 1. The match is scheduled for a 7:30 p.m., EST opening serve.
