LIVONIA, Mich.-- Madonna University Volleyball stole a 3-1 victory over the No. 5 seed Siena Heights University (Mich.) inside the Alliance Catholic Credit Union Arena Friday night in the semifinals of the 2021 Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) Volleyball Tournament.

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Saints held a 4-1 advantage to start off the first set before Jodie Kelly and a Jordyn Dawson service ace started to help Madonna crawl back into the game. In a match where a one or two point lead seemed to be the most you could get, the Crusaders rocketed to a 6-0 run with Molly Miller kills, two attacking errors by SHU, and a block assist with Miller and Jaeda Porter which secured Madonna the 25-18 first set win. 

With the game knotted up at 9-9, both teams resumed the boxing match with no teams gaining a distinct advantage over one another. The Saints stomped out to a 3-0 stretch that would deflate the Madonna offensive to put the game at 16-13. Siena Heights naturally won the race to 20 points with the Crusaders lagging behind and ultimately falling the set 25-22. 

It was Madonna who then grew a small lead early in the third at 5-3 as the Crusaders would counter every Saints' point with one or two of their own. With the game at 17-17, SHU outgained Madonna by reaching 20 leaving Madonna wondering how to stop the Saints' onslaught. It was Kelly with an assist by Kacie Stoneburner that would spark the catalyst to put this frame into extra points as Miller and Kelly tag teamed for the finishers in 27-25. 

To start the pivotal fourth set, both teams continued to rattle each other in this cage match. Madonna would go on a 3-0 run, Siena Heights would go on a 3-0 run. This is how it would play out all the way until the 19-19 mark as Miller would go back-to-back for a 21-19 MU lead. A Siena Heights point was sandwiched between the opposition's service error and an attacking error that would force a Saints timeout at 24-20. A late, energetic push by SHU saw two points scrap the lead back within one at 24-23 before an outside strike from Miller sucked the air out of the arena as it struck the floor for the final blow to Siena Heights. 

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Miller led the team for the first time since earlier in the season with 23 kills to Kelly's 20 and Porter's eight
• Porter also attributed to nine blocks while Dawson tallied 41 assists
• Statistically, both the Saints and Crusaders were neck-and-neck where the only distinct advantage Madonna had was in digs with 80 led by Olivia Sweeney who had 16

UP NEXT

Madonna will take on the No. 2 seed Cornerstone University (Mich.) inside the ACCU Arena for the 2021 WHAC Volleyball Championship game for a 1:00 p.m. start.

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