LIVONIA, Mich. - Six points. That was the difference between a 12th Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference tournament championship and a four-set loss for the Madonna University volleyball team as they fell to 20th-ranked Lawrence Technological University inside the Don Ridler Field House on Saturday afternoon.

Madonna, who lost sets one (27-25), three (26-24) and four (26-24), will enter the NAIA National tournament with a record of 24-12 while LTU is 32-2.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The opening set was the definition of a see-saw affair as the teams tied 14 times during the first game with the final tie coming at 25 on a kill from Jodie Kelly. Unfortunately, the Blue Devils were able to win the final two points for the 27-25 victory. 
• Set two could not start any better for the Blue and Gold as Madonna began with a 6-0 run highlighted by kills from Kelly and Erica LaBaere and a pair of block assists by Kelly and DJ Sargent. LTU followed with a 12-6 run to tie the set at 12. A pair of kills from Kelly, two block assists from Sargent and Janelle Kwasiborski and kills from Tauri Hintz, Sargent and LaBaere keyed a 7-3 MU run to make it 19-15. After the home team cut the deficit back to three, Madonna won the final five points, capped by a LaBaere kill after she teamed with Betsy Cook on a block assist for the 25-17 win.
• The Crusaders again got off to a fast start in set three as they won six of the first seven points highlighted by three Kelly kills and a service ace from Ryan Castle and Olivia Sweeney. The Blue and Gold maintained a six-point advantage until a 5-0 LTU rally cut the margin to one, 17-16. Three of the next four went to MU, but LTU won 5-of-6 to go up 22-21 before a LaBaere termination tied the set at 22 and Kelly gave MU the lead. The Blue Devils won four of the final five points though for the 26-24 win and a 2-1 match lead.
• Kelly did all she could in set four to stake MU to a 12-5 lead as she tallied three kills, two service aces, and an assist as the Crusaders raced to a large lead for the third straight game. Six of the next seven went to the 20th-ranked Blue Devils to make it a two-point game, but a LaBaere kill, Sweeney service ace and a pair of errors by LTU put MU up 17-11. An 8-2 run by the home team tied the score at 19 and after the teams traded side-outs LTU won five of the final seven points for the 26-24 win and their first WHAC Tournament Championship in program history. 

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• 57: Cook finished with 57 assists in the contest
• 26: Kelly finished with a match-high 26 kills and hit .302 with 15 digs
• .375: Kwasiborski again led the team in hitting percentage at .375 with 12 kills and she added five blocks
• 10+: Hintz and LaBaere each added 10 kills while Hintz also had seven digs; Sweeney finished with 15 digs to match Kelly for the team lead while Katie Englehardt added 10 digs
• 9: Sargent had a great game at the net as she collected a season-best nine blocks (1 solo, 8 assists) and added four kills
• 62-52: Madonna had more kills (62-52), aces (10-7), blocks (12-6), assists (60-43) and digs (63-54) than the Blue Devils and outhit the home team .255-.208

JERRY'S WORLD

• "The match could not have been any closer today. Out kids played awesome and put themselves in a position to win every game;  I thought we had it. We attacked very well and played smart, aggressive defense. Although our goal was certainly to win today's match, I am very proud of our team and we are peaking at the right time." - Head Coach Jerry Abraham on the match
• "Getting to compete at the national championships is one of our major team goals so we are excited to start that process. It's always tough to earn a bid but this group wanted it, stuck together and got it done." - Abraham on securing a berth to the NAIA National Tournament

UP NEXT

• The Crusaders, by way for facing the regular-season champion Blue Devils in the championship, earned the second bid to the NAIA National Tournament of the WHAC and will find out what opening round they will play in when the field is announced via the NAIA selection show on Wednesday, Nog. 18 at 11 a.m. on the NAIA Facebook page located here. 
• Opening rounds, played at campus sites, will be held on Nov. 22-23 with the National Championship taking place Dec. 2-7 at the Tyson Events Center in Sioux City, Iowa. 

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