GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - The third-seeded Madonna University volleyball team took second-seeded and 25th-ranked Aquinas College (Mich.) to five sets in the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference semifinals at Mol Arena on the campus of Cornerstone University (Mich.) on Friday night, but lost the last two sets. 

The Crusaders fall to 14-5 on the season and will await their postseason fate, while the Saints improve to 21-2 and advance to the WHAC Championship game on Saturday, April 10 against the winner of No. 22 Cornerstone and Indiana Tech. 

HOW IT HAPPENED
It wasn't the start the Crusaders hoped for as Aquinas, playing in front of a large contingent of fans, took an early lead in set one and never looked back, taking the set 25-19.

The Saints again took an early lead in set two, 12-8, before senior Jodie Kelly terminated a set from freshman Kacie Stoneburner that sparked a 5-0 rally to tie the set at 12. The teams traded side outs until the Saints scored three straight to take a 24-21 lead. The Blue and Gold hung tough and fought off three set points as they scored the final five points and earned the 26-24. It was an impressive set point that saw an incredible dig by junior Joella Griner and a surprise kill from Stoneburner. 

Madonna flexed their muscles early in set three, building an 11-6 lead, but Aquinas won 7-of-8 to go ahead 14-13. The teams traded points and were tied at 20 when senior Ryan Castle hammered a ball home, Kelly registered a solo block, and Stoneburner and sophomore DJ Sargent teamed for a block to make it 23-20. A kill by Kelly and a Saints error gave MU the 25-21 win. 

Aquinas raced out to a 7-2 lead in set four and held a sizable lead until a 5-0 Madonna rally, highlighted by a block from senior Cassidy Curtis and junior Emily Stewart, cut the deficit to two, 16-14. Unfortunately, the Saints won nine of the final 12 points to force a fifth set.

It was a tough start again for MU as the Saints won 5-of-6 to begin the game, but a three-point burst from MU, which included a Stewart block, made it 6-5. The Crusaders' offense struggled to get in system and Aquinas scored 9-of-12 for the match win. 

TOP PERFORMERS

• Kelly led the team with 20 kills and added 17 digs and four blocks while Curtis finished with 12 kills and Castle added 11.
• Stewart hit a team-best .333 and had a team-high six blocks.
• Stoneburner dished out a career-best 40 assists, tallied eight kills, and collected 13 digs while junior Olivia Sweeney dug a team-best 21 balls.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• 1- Aquinas had just one more kill than the Crusaders (60-59), but hit .194 (60-23-191) to Madonna's .137 (59-33-190). 
• 11-9 - The Blue and Gold won at the net with 11 blocks to the Saints' nine

UP NEXT
The loss ends the Crusaders' scheduled slate, however, the team still has hopes of qualifying for the NAIA Opening Round which will be announced on Monday, April 12 at 11 a.m. live on the NAIA Facebook page here. 

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