Box Score

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - Kassie Graves posted 14 kills and 15 digs on Tuesday night but it was not enough to lift the Lady Panthers to an upset of Aquinas on the night they celebrated the grand opening of their new gymnasium. DU falls to 18-13 on the year and 8-7 in league action.

As Aquinas spent the night dedicating their new gymnasium on campus, the Lady Panthers came within a few points of spoiling the fetivities in a 5-set thriller won by the Saints.  DU won the first two sets 26-24, and 25-19, but fell 25-21, 25-22 and 16-14.

The opening set was a sign of things to come as the battle went back and forth with neither team holding a lead of more than three points.  DU 12-9 but the Saints rallied for a 7-1 run to lead 16-13.  After a timeout from Coach Garner, Davenport ripped off six of the next nine points to lead 19-18 on an ace from Kayla Vandermolen (Cedar Springs, Mich.).  The see-saw battle continued for the remainder of the set until DU got a break with an AQ error and ended with a 26-24 win on a kill from Vandermolen.

For as close as the first set was, it was the exact opposite in the second with Davenport dominating from start to finish.  The Lady Panthers took a 6-6 tie and ran off 13 of the set's next 17 points to take a commanding 19-10 lead.  DU struggled late to close out the Saints but eventually did by the score of 25-19.

Looking for their first win in two years over their GR-rival,. DU came out with intensity in the third set but the Saints controlled the play to win 25-21 and then followed it up with a 25-22 victory in the fourth to force a fifth and deciding set.

DU took the early lead with a kill from Nicole Chase (Caledonia, Mich.) and they extended it to two points at 6-4 after an AQ error.  The Saints then took control by using a 7-3  run to take an 11-9 lead that was followed by a DU timeout.  The Lady Panthers rallied once again with two straight points to bring the score to 14-13 in favor of the Lady Panthers.  The host Saints however never gave up as they scored three of the final four points to escape with a 16-14 win.

Kassie Graves (White Cloud, Mich.) led the way with 14 kills and 15 digs for the double-double and she was joined in the same category by Kayla Vandermolen (Cedar Springs, Mich.) who finished with 44 assists and 12 digs.  Defensively, Courtney DePriest (Grand Rapids, Mich.) posted a team high 20 digs.

Davenport will play in the annual CU Classic hosted by Cornerstone University this weekend as they take on four MCC schools: Spring Arbor, St. Francis, Goshen and Bethel. Live stats will be available for every match.