LIVONIA, Mich. -- The Siena Heights women's volleyball team suffered its first loss in league play after a straight-set defeat on the road against Madonna on Friday night. The Saints (6-2, 2-1 WHAC) struggled at the net against a tough Crusaders (11-3, 3-0 WHAC) defense who used 12 total team blocks to hold SHU to just .015 hitting on the evening.
Aline Marinelo led Siena Heights on the attack with nine kills and a team-high .438 hitting. Aubrey Bates averaged 10 assists per set as she finished with 30. Alli Conly and Kadie Carsten anchored the defense with 13 and 11 digs respectively. Olivia Norman led things for SHU at the net with four blocks on the night. Janel Ruhlman finished with eight kills and six digs.
Siena Heights played tough through a close set one that saw the teams tie seven times before Madonna used a 4-0 run to win 25-20 and take a 1-0 lead. The set began with both teams trading 3-0 runs to knot things up at three each. The Saints gained a 9-7 lead before a 5-0 run by the Crusaders put things at 12-9. SHU battled back and tied things at 16 and again at 19 but Madonna was able to hold for the win.
The second set saw the home team widen the gap a bit as the score sat at 20-13 before Madonna pulled away for the 25-15 victory and a 2-0 lead.
The Saints came back swinging in the third set and built a 14-8 lead. A 6-0 run by the Crusaders tied things up. Siena held onto the advantage but Madonna roared back and the set went into extra points to a tie at 26 before the home team tallied the final two points to end the match.
Up Next
Siena Heights returns home to host Michigan-Dearborn at the SHU Fieldhouse tomorrow (Saturday, September 18) at 5:00 p.m.
