UM-Dearborn Box Score | Olivet Box Score | Tournament Page
Grand Rapids, Mich. – Davenport kicked off the 2nd Annual Panther Invitational Friday with a conference victory over UM-Dearborn 3-0 and finished their night with a sweep of MIAA foe Olivet College. Davenport is now 16-10 on the year and will continue play on Saturday at 11:00am.
In the opening match, the Panthers used quick starts in each set to build leads that conference opponent UM- Dearborn couldn't come back from. Davenport got off to a 7-3 lead in the first and built on that the rest of the way eventually taking the set 25-10. In the second set, the Panthers used a 5-1 run in the middle of the set to take a 16-8 lead. An exchange of points to finish gave the Panthers the second set 25-16. The third set was closer throughout but the Panthers finished strong and took the third set 25-18.
Kayla Vandermolen (Cedar Springs, Mich.) set the pace for Davenport with 7 kills and 26 assists in the match. Amy VanEns (Lowell, Mich.) added 7 more kills and Nicole Chase (Caledonia, Mich.) led the Panthers in blocks with 3.
The win against the Wolves brought Davenport's WHAC record to 7-5 on the year which sets a new school record for league wins in a season. The previous high was two identical 6-8 records in 2008 and 2009. DU still has four WHAC matches remaining against Concordia, Madonna, Aquinas and Siena Heights.
In the second match of the night against Olivet, Davenport picked up right where they left off against the Wolves. The Panthers took on the Comets who entered the tournament 8-8 overall and who had won their first match in a tough five-setter against UM-Dearborn. The Panthers once again took the lead early and didn't look back. The Panthers overmatched Olivet in nearly every category.
Kassie Graves (White Cloud, Mich.) (White Cloud, Mich.) led the Panthers in kills in the second match with 10.Kayla Vandermolen (Cedar Springs, Mich.) had another solid game with 32 assists. Kelse Moon (Fremont, Mich.) (Fremont, Mich.) led the team in blocks with four.
The Panther Invitational will continue tomorrow with the first matches starting at 9:00 AM. The first matches will feature Olivet College vs. Siena Heights and UM-Dearborn vs. Cardinal Stritch. Trinity Christian will take on the winner of OC/SHU match and Davenport will take on the winner of CSU/SHU at 11:00 AM. The Championship and Consolation games will begin at 1:00 PM.
