HUNTINGTON, Ind. — The Madonna University volleyball team opened the 2026 season with a four-match weekend at the Huntington University Tournament, splitting its four contests while showcasing both resilience and depth throughout the opening weekend.
The Crusaders began the weekend Friday with a 3-0 setback against IU Columbus before responding with a thrilling five-set victory over host Huntington. Madonna continued its strong play Saturday morning with a 3-0 sweep of Wilberforce before closing the weekend with a 3-1 loss to St. Mary-Woods.
Madonna finished the weekend 2-2 overall, highlighted by a dramatic comeback victory over Huntington and a dominant offensive performance against Wilberforce.
Friday — Madonna 0, IU Columbus 3
Madonna opened the weekend against IU Columbus and fell in three sets, 25-16, 25-23, 25-16.
The Crusaders battled throughout the first two sets, particularly in the second, when they held a lead as late as 23-22 before IU Columbus scored the final three points to take a 2-0 match advantage. Madonna then fell behind early in the third set and was unable to complete the comeback.
Madonna finished with 23 kills and a .044 hitting percentage while recording seven total blocks.
Sydney Stonerock led the Crusaders with six kills while hitting .143, while
Hope Schriber added six kills and a block.
Alyviah Wright contributed four total blocks, including four block assists.
Madelena Arriaga and
Rylie Glass split the setting duties, recording 12 and 11 assists, respectively, while
Lexa Forti paced the defense with 15 digs.
Friday — Madonna 3, Huntington 2
The Crusaders quickly bounced back in the evening, earning their first win of the season in dramatic fashion with a 3-2 victory over Huntington, 25-20, 19-25, 30-28, 18-25, 15-11.
Madonna controlled the opening set from the start, jumping out to a 5-0 lead and eventually building an eight-point advantage at 18-11. Huntington answered by taking the second set, but the Crusaders responded with their best offensive set of the match in the third.
Madonna hit .211 in the third set and survived a back-and-forth battle that extended beyond 25 points, eventually taking the set 30-28. The Crusaders then regrouped after Huntington forced a fifth set and finished the match strong, hitting .267 in the deciding frame to secure the victory.
Kem Donelly and
Hope Schriber led Madonna offensively with 14 kills apiece. Schriber also added a team-high five block assists, while Donnelly finished with 24 digs.
Alyviah Wright added seven kills and three block assists, and
Vivian Campbell posted 10 kills while hitting .222 and adding three total blocks.
The Crusaders also received a strong defensive effort from
Lexa Forti, who recorded 24 digs, while Donnelly added 24 digs of her own. Glass and Arriaga combined for 55 assists, with Glass recording 28 and Arriaga 27.
Saturday — Madonna 3, Wilberforce 0
Madonna carried its momentum into Saturday morning, sweeping Wilberforce, 25-12, 25-15, 25-17.
The Crusaders dominated from the opening serve, hitting .319 as a team while holding Wilberforce to a -.104 hitting percentage. Madonna also finished with 10 service aces and six total blocks.
The first set saw Madonna turn a 9-6 lead into a 20-6 advantage before closing out the frame 25-12. The Crusaders then opened the second set on a 4-0 run and never looked back, eventually taking a 25-15 victory.
Alyviah Wright led the Madonna attack with six kills while hitting an impressive .600.
Vivian Campbell hit .556 with five kills and two total blocks, while
Sydney Stonerock recorded six kills on 10 attacks for a .500 hitting percentage.
Hope Schriber added six kills and two blocks.
Glass paced the offense with 12 assists, while Arriaga added six assists. Forti led the defense with 10 digs, and
Grace Patterson contributed three service aces and five digs.
Saturday — Madonna 1, St. Mary-Woods 3
The Crusaders closed the weekend against St. Mary-Woods, falling 3-1 by scores of 22-25, 25-21, 19-25, 14-25.
Madonna battled throughout the opening set, trailing 20-12 before mounting a late push that brought the Crusaders within three at 23-20. St. Mary-Woods ultimately held on to take the opener 25-22.
Madonna answered in the second set, overcoming an early deficit and eventually pulling away for a 25-21 victory to even the match at one set apiece.
St. Mary-Woods responded by taking the third set 25-19 before using a strong start in the fourth to secure the 3-1 victory. The Mustangs hit .237 as a team, compared to .076 for Madonna.
Hope Schriber paced Madonna with 10 kills and four blocks, while
Madelena Arriaga recorded 10 assists and 12 digs.
Sydney Stonerock added six kills and 13 digs, while
Lexa Forti contributed 14 digs.
UP NEXT:
Madonna finishes the opening weekend with a 2-2 record, gaining valuable experience across four matches in two days. The Crusaders showed their ability to respond to adversity with Friday night's five-set victory over #RV Huntington and followed it with a convincing sweep of Wilberforce Saturday morning.
The Crusaders will be back in action on Wednesday, August 19th as they head to Spring Arbor, Mich. to take on Spring Arbor University. The match is set to begin at 5:00 PM.
