DEARBORN, Mich. – Lauren Korth showed why she is so valuable and the middle hitters were dominant as the 20th-ranked Madonna University volleyball team outlasted Spring Arbor University and Mount Vernon Nazarene University in a pair of sweeps to open the UM-Dearborn Early Bird Classic at the UM-Dearborn Fieldhouse on Friday night.

MATCH ONE: No. 20 Madonna (2-0) 3, Spring Arbor (2-1) 0 (25-14, 25-21, 25-22)

• Set one

  • Unlike their season-opener against Bethel, the Crusaders showed the ability to close in the first game as they scored the final five points of the set which included a kill and two blocks from Erica LaBaere and a service ace from Olivia Sweeney.

• Set Two

  • Madonna trailed the for majority of the second set that saw the teams tie seven times at 1, 2, 8, 16-19. A miscue at the service line broke the tie at 19 and put the ball in Ryan Castle's hands and she served the next three points, which included an ace, to put MU two points away from the win. A LaBaere kill from Lauren Korth sealed the 25-21 win.

• Set Three

  • Korth was a difference maker in the final set as she had two key service runs and recorded the final kill. Her first run came with MU trailing 7-6 and she served three straight points for the 9-7 advantage. With the game tied at 17, she again toed the line and scored three times, which included a pair of aces, to make it 20-17. Kills from Taylor Suurmeyer and LaBaere got MU to match point and Jordan Dawson fed Korth for the final point and the win.

MATCH TWO: No. 20 Madonna (3-0) 3, Mount Vernon Nazarene (1-1) 0 (30-28, 25-18, 25-19)

• Set one

  • After a nearly two-hour break between matches, the Crusaders came out slow against the Cougars of MVNU as the Ohio program won the first four points and nine of the opening 10. Madonna slowly clawed their way back into the match, but still faced three set points. It was Alyssa Facione who brought MU all the way back as she served three straight points with kills from LeBaere, Jodie Kelly and Nicole Chestnut to tie the score at 24. The teams then traded points and tied at 26, 27 and 28 before a Kelly kill and an MVNU attack error gave the Crusaders the hard fought win.

• Set Two

  • The Blue and Gold once again found themselves behind early and for much of the second set, that is until Castle stepped to the service line. The sophomore replicated her game one performance with four straight points to tie the score at 13. Four more ties kept the match close until Facione served two straight points to break a tie at 17. Korth served the final five points with three coming via the ace.

• Set Three

  • With momentum firmly on their side, the Crusaders made quick work of the third set. Luisa Wiewgorra served three straight points early on and the Cougars never got close as MU tallied 18 kills in the set to just eight for the visitors.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• MATCH ONE

  • Madonna outhit Spring Arbor .265 to .105, but saw their game-by-game attack percentages drop each set (.480/.237/.143)

  • LaBaere and Suurmeyer each tallied 10 kills while Greer added nine

  • Korth finished with three aces, 29 assists and 11 digs, all team highs

  • Greer had five blocks while Kelly and LaBaere each added four

  • MU is now 18-1 all-time against the Cougars

• MATCH TWO

  • Madonna tallied 55 kills and hit .244 while limiting MVNU to 29 kills and a .125 attack percentage

  • The Crusaders tallied eight service aces to just two for the Cougars

  • LaBaere led the offense with 16 kills and a .400 attack percentage while Suurmeyer added 12 and Kelly finished with 11

  • Greer added four more blocks while Facione collected 21 digs

  • Korth continued to excel as she posted 43 assists and four service aces

MILESTONES TO WATCH

• Head Coach Jerry Abraham continues his pursuit of 1,200 career wins and needs just 17 more.

• Korth is currently ninth on the all-time assists list with 3,371 in her career.

UP NEXT

• The Crusaders return to the court tomorrow as they wrap up the UM-Dearborn Early Bird Classic at the UM-Dearborn Fieldhouse. Madonna faces Goshen at 10 a.m. and Point Park (Pa.) at 12 p.m.

• Tournament information, which includes ticket prices and directions, can be found here.

• Live coverage is available via the Madonna Athletics Network at madonnacrusaders.com/live.

CONNECT WITH THE CRUSADERS: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube