DEARBORN, Mich. - The Madonna University volleyball team trailed in all but the final set on the first day of the University of Michigan-Dearborn Early Bird Classic and came away with a pair of three-set victories over Judson University (Ill.) and Cincinnati Christian University. 

The Crusaders showed grit and resilience as they battled back from deficits early and often. While the usual suspects in Jodie Kelly, Olivia Sweeney and Erica LaBaere played prominent roles in the two wins, several newcomers and a host of underclassmen showcased the future of Crusaders' volleyball. 

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:
Match 1 vs. Judson

• The Blue and Gold fell behind early in the first set of the day and trailed multiple times throughout the game, but Madonna won six of the final eight points to secure a 25-22 win. Kelly had a pair of kills, LaBaere added one and newcomer Karolina Noszczyk added a kill and a service ace to close out the win.
• After falling behind 3-1, the Blue and Gold won 12-of-15 points in set two, highlighted by aces from Betsy Cook and Noszczyk, to take a 13-6 lead and never trailed the rest of the game in another 25-22 victory.
• In set three, Judson used a 6-0 run to take an early 9-5 lead, but Madonna responded with a three-point, four-point and five-point run throughout the match to come back for a 25-21 win in which both teams struggled to find an offense.

Match 2 vs. Cincinnati Christian

• After a nearly two-hour break, the Crusaders struggled early in the first set as a few unforced errors led to a 5-0 run by the Eagles and gave CCU a 6-2 lead. After trading side-outs, four kills from Kelly and DJ Sargent, two each, tied the set at 10. Cook followed a pair of Eagles' points with six service points, which included an ace and three kills from Kelly, to take a 17-12 lead. CCU got back to within one, but Noszczyk tallied a pair of aces to swing momentum back to MU and LaBaere pounded a kill to seal the 25-21 win. 
• MU fell behind once again in set two but scored five straight points to turn a 5-3 deficit into an 8-5 lead. After the Eagles tied the scored, MU scored 10 of the next 12 points with a pair of aces from Sweeney and another Cook ace to push the margin to eight, 20-12. Luisa Wiewgorra finished the 25-18 win in style with an ace and a kill. 
• After the teams traded side-outs to tie at 3, Madonna outscored the Eagles 17-7 over the next 24 points to take a commanding lead and a Natasha Strzelewicz kill sealed the 25-15 win and the second sweep of the day.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• .647  - LaBaere finished the match against Cincinnati Christian with 12 kills and a career-best .647 attack percentage
• 25/5 - Sweeney finished the day with 25 digs and five aces for the Blue and Gold
• .145/.130 - Madonna limited Judson to a .145 attack percentage with CCU hit .130
• 20 - The Crusaders tallied 20 service aces in the two matches, which included 12 against CCU

CRUSADER VISION


UP NEXT
Madonna wraps up play at the UM-Dearborn Early Bird Classic on Saturday, Aug. 24 against Bryan College at 9 a.m. and St. Francis (Ill.) at 4:30 p.m. Live coverage will be available on the Madonna Athletics Network at www.mucrusaders.com/live. 

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