UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich. – The Saginaw Valley State University volleyball team dropped a tightly contested four-set match to Purdue Northwest on Saturday afternoon at Hamilton Gymnasium. The Cardinals won the opening set 25–23 before the Pride rallied to take the next three 25–20, 25–20, and 25–23.

The Cardinals (8–16, 2–10 GLIAC) were led offensively by Chloe Vanwinkle (Clio, Mich. / Clio HS), who finished with 13 kills, nine digs, and two assists. Cola Sisk (Lake Fenton, Mich. / Lake Fenton HS) and Rachel Townsend (Oxford, Mich. / Oxford HS) each added eight kills, while Kendall Ihm (Owosso, Mich. / Owosso HS) posted seven kills on a .538 hitting percentage with three block assists. Ava Beard (Berkley, Mich. / Berkley HS) dished out 34 assists and tallied 12 digs and two aces for a double-double. Kendall White (DeWitt, Mich. / St. John's HS) anchored the defense with 21 digs and three service aces.

SVSU recorded 49 kills, five aces, and 73 digs while hitting .189 as a team. Purdue Northwest totaled 67 kills and hit .227 for the match.

Set One (25–23)

After trailing 18–9, the Cardinals stormed back with a 10–1 run behind strong serving from White and Townsend. Sisk put up three kills in the run, tying the set at 19–19. Vanwinkle and Townsend provided key points down the stretch, and SVSU sealed it 25–23 with back-to-back attack errors by the Pride.

Set Two (20–25)

SVSU and PNW traded points early before the Pride used a 7–2 stretch to take control at 12-6. Ihm and Townsend each added late kills, but the Cardinals couldn't close the gap as Purdue Northwest evened the match.

Set Three (20–25)

The third set mirrored the second, with both teams battling point-for-point until PNW used two 5–1 runs to go ahead 19-14. Vanwinkle and Decker combined for several kills to pull SVSU within three, but the Pride closed the frame with consecutive kills to go ahead 2–1.

Set Four (23–25)

SVSU built early leads of 10–6 and 14–9 with contributions from Vanwinkle and Beard before Purdue Northwest responded with a 9-3 rally to take a slim lead. The Cardinals battled as they were down to set point, 24-20, but couldn't force extras after taking three points before a kill for PNW to win it.

Up Next: Saginaw Valley stays at home with two more matches next weekend. The Cardinals host Grand Valley State on Friday, November 7 at 6:00 PM for Senior Day. SVSU welcomes Wayne State the next day at 4:30 PM for their final home match of the regular season.