Madonna University Athletics

LIVONIA, Mich. - Madonna started quickly and claimed the opening set before Aquinas (MI) (MI) rallied for a 3-1 victory Wednesday night. Aquinas (MI) won by set scores of 17-25, 25-19, 25-13 and 25-10, improving to 15-1 overall and 1-0 in league play. Madonna moved to 3-8 and 0-1.

Madonna delivered its best attacking performance in the first set, hitting .273 and using a 10-2 run to take control. Consecutive kills by Vivian Campbell extended an early advantage to 7-4, and a service ace later completed the surge that put Madonna ahead 16-7. Aquinas (MI) cut into the margin, but Madonna secured the 25-17 win on an attack error.

The second set turned after Madonna nearly erased another early deficit. Trailing 5-1, the home side steadily worked back into contention and pulled within 13-12 on a service ace. Aquinas (MI) responded with seven of the next nine points, with Nevaeh Bakker finishing the run on a kill for a 20-14 lead. Kate Schneider closed the set with another kill, evening the match with a 25-19 decision. Madonna still hit .265 in the set.

A long run separated the teams in the third set. Aquinas (MI) held a narrow 6-5 edge before scoring 10 consecutive points, capped by a Cece Pelak kill. The run produced a 16-5 advantage, and Nevaeh Bakker later ended the set with a kill for a 25-13 win.
Aquinas (MI) carried that momentum into the fourth set, opening with nine straight points, including three service aces. Madonna answered later with a five-point run, and a kill by Gwen Clifford cut the deficit to 19-10. Aquinas (MI) stopped the rally by scoring the final six points to finish the match.

Vivian Campbell and Sydney Stonerock led Madonna with eight kills apiece. Vivian Campbell hit .333, while Sydney Stonerock added nine digs and three block assists. Hope Schriber finished with seven kills, and Alyviah Wright recorded six kills without an attack error, hit .353 and contributed four block assists. Rylie Glass directed the attack with 24 assists, Addison Boven added 13 assists and two aces, and Lexa Forti anchored the defense with 21 digs. Madonna finished with 40 kills, 64 digs and six blocks, while Aquinas (MI) totaled 49 kills, 13 aces and 11 blocks.

The Crusaders are back in action on Saturday, September 12th as they head to the University of Michigan-Dearborn to take on the Wolverines. The match is set to begin at 2:00 PM.