MARION, Ind.-- Madonna University Volleyball concluded its 2021 campaign in the 2021 National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Women's Volleyball Opening Round at the hands of Indiana Wesleyan University in a 3-0 defeat.  

HOW IT HAPPENED

Jodie Kelly kicked things off for Madonna in the first set as Jaeda Porter and an attacking error by the Wildcats kept Madonna in the thick of things early on. Even as IWU would try and pull away, DJ Sargent propelled the Crusaders to a 5-0 run to take its first lead of the game at 10-8. IWU would respond by rattling off six straight with Sargent and Molly Miller doing their best to keep the Crusaders in it but would ultimately fall in the first set 25-21. 

Kelly and Sargent would go one-two to start the second set but the Wildcats would rally and fire off three shots to every Crusader one. The second set would end with the Crusaders staring at a 10-point deficit at 25-10. 

Unfortunately, the third set would be the same story despite Kelly and Miller's efforts in the middle of the set. With the Wildcats pulling within the match point, little-by-little, the rowdy arena of Luckey Arena began to rumble with the final dagger coming for Madonna sealing the set at 25-18. 


INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Kelly led the team in kills for the final time with 12, Miller had eight and Sargent had seven, respectively
• Jordyn Dawson had 35 assists through the match
• Dawson also led the team with 14 digs

UP NEXT

This concludes the Madonna Volleyball season for 2021 as the Crusaders ended it with a 29-6 overall record, 18-2 in the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference with a regular season WHAC title and a WHAC tournament title in the same season for the first time since 2013. 

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