Nov. 5, 2009
Box Score
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - For the third straight year, Davenport will take on Cornerstone in their gym in the WHAC Quarterfinals after a 3-1 setback on the final day of the regular season. DU will enter that match with an overall record of 18-16 as they also finished 6-8 in league play for the second straight year.
Davenport jumped out to a quick 4-1 lead in the opening set after kills from Kassie Graves (White Cloud, Mich.) and Joyce Larioza (Fowlerville, Mich.) but the host Golden Eagles rallied to take a 12-9 lead after some miscues on DU's part.
Leading 12-11, Cornerstone then went on an 8-1 run to take full control of the opening set and despite a late DU rally, took the first set 25-19.
Set two was very similar to the first as each team played very even volleyball for the first 10-15 points but again DU was hurt by some of their own errors and CU turned a 12-10 advantage into a 21-14 lead.
Kelse Moon (Fremont, Mich.) ended the run for Davenport but it was a little too late as CU won again 25-19.
Needing a win in the 3rd to stay alive it looked as if DU had run out of gas as Cornerstone controlled most of the play and actually led 23-19 late. But then a light went off for the Panthers and they played very solid led by their blocking a tough serving from Samantha Mol (Lowell, Mich.).
The Panthers crawled back into the set and forced CU into two timeouts and they eventually won 25-23 after three straight errors from the Golden Eagles.
Set four was much tighter than the first three from the opening point but it was the middle of the set that did DU in again as Cornerstone took a 12-10 lead and built it into a 19-14 advantage putting the Panthers on their heels.
Late kills from Moon, Graves and Amy VanEns (Lowell, Mich.) were not enough to force a fifth set as CU won 25-22.
Graves finished the night with 14 kills and Kayla Vandermolen (Cedar Springs, Mich.) posted 35 assists. Courtney DePriest (Grand Rapids, Mich.) played an outstanding match in the backrow as she finished with 30 digs on the night.
The loss drops DU to 18-16 on the year and they will enter the WHAC Tournament as the #5 seed. Davenport will travel back to Cornerstone on Tuesday, November 10 to open the tournament which is single elimination.
