LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Davenport had a solid day two of the Bellarmine Kickoff Classic, going 1-1 on the day and finishing 3-1 for the tournament. The Panthers swept West Virginia Wesleyan in the morning match and then took host Bellarmine to five sets in the later match. Eight players were named to the All-Tournament Team and that included two from Davenport. Senior Ashley VanderHorst and junior Jenn Kay Vander Meer represented the Panthers on the All-Tournament Team.
 
MATCH 1 (West Virginia Wesleyan)
Final Score: Davenport 3, West Virginia Wesleyan 0
Location: Louisville, Ky.
Records: Davenport 5-3, West Virginia Wesleyan 0-3


 
HOW IT HAPPENED
-SET SCORES: 25-15, 25-13, 25-16
-Davenport was in the drivers seat for the whole first set. Charlie Smith recorded a kill on the very first point and the Panthers never gave up the lead for the remainder of the set. The Panthers lead grew to double digits in the set when the Bobcats had a service error to make the score 18-8. Davenport was steady throughout the set, never letting the Bobcats cut into the lead.
-The second set was back and forth to open, with the score being tied 6-6 after a kill by the Bobcats. Davenport went on a couple small runs and built up a five-point lead (12-7) following back to back kills by Vander Meer. The lead continued to grow and Davenport led 19-10 after a block by Hayley Kreiger and Jessica Marvin.  The Panthers rallied off four unanswered points down the stretch to take the set 25-13.
-Similar to the second set, the third set was tied 6-6 before Davenport pulled away. Following the 12^th point of the match, the Panthers scored seven of the next eight points to take a 13-7 advantage, which was capped off with a service ace by Sami White. Davenport went on another run a few points later to take a 19-10 lead over the Bobcats, with Kasey Stehouwer earning a service ace to cap off the run. The match winning point belonged to Sarah Wendling, she had a solo block to give DU the 25-16 set win.
 
STAT LEADERS
Kills-Kreiger (13)
Aces-White (2)
Blocks-Marvin/Kreiger (3)
Assists-Sydney Tracer (22)
Digs-Vander Meer (11)
 
MATCH 2 (Bellarmine)
Final Score: Davenport 2, Bellarmine University 3
Location: Louisville, Ky.
Records: Davenport 5-4, Bellarmine 5-2
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
-SET SCORES: 25-22, 18-25, 24-26, 25-22, 11-15
-Davenport faced their tough opponent in the tournament last, taking the host Knights to five sets. The Panthers got off to a great start in the match, taking the first set by a score of 25-22. The most important stretch of the set was a four point run to give DU an 18-12 lead, which included a kill by Vander Meer, service ace by Vander Meer, and a block assist by VanderHorst and Tracer. Davenport held off a late push by the Knights and Smith blasted home the set-winning kill, assisted by White.
-The Panthers were in the driver's seat for a majority of the second set, but a six-point run by the Knights in the middle of the set shifted momentum away from DU. Bellarmine went up 17-13 after the run and scored six of the final seven points to tie the match 1-1.
-The third set, which is a pivotal set in volleyball when the match is tied 1-1, went down to the wire. The set was tied 13 different times throughout. Davenport had a great opportunity late in the set to win. With the score 24-23, in the Panthers favor, VanderHorst served and the Knights recorded the point after a kill by Abbie Stefanon. Bellarmine won the next two points to take a 2-1 lead.
-Davenport didn't let the set three loss deter them from the end goal. The Panthers bounced back in the fourth set and won 25-22 to force a fifth set. A four point run early gave DU a 7-5 lead, then the Panthers went on another four point run a couple points later to take a 15-9 lead. Davenport protected their lead down the stretch, which came in jeopardy after the Knights scored five straight to make the score 21-20 in DU's favor. The Panthers scored three straight after the Bellarmine run to take a commanding 24-20 lead. VanderHorst and Tracer teamed up for the set-winning block to force the match into a fifth and final set.
-Bellarmine got off to a hot start in the fifth set, which is crucial due to the set being played to only 15 points. The Knights led 6-1 after a service ace. Davenport fought back and scored three straight to cut the Knights lead down to two points. Bellarmine scored a trio of points to lead 12-6. The Panthers needed a nice run of points down the stretch to force the set into extra points, but the Knights put the finishing touch with a kill to win the set 15-11.

 
STAT LEADERS
Kills-VanderHorst (17)
Aces-Vander Meer (2)
Blocks-VanderHorst (6)
Assists-Tracer (31)
Digs-Stehouwer (18)
 
COACHES CORNER
"I thought it was a very good weekend for our team" said Head Coach Megan Lenhart. "We fought very hard against a tough Bellarmine team and established some good rhythm as we head into conference play".
 
All-Tournament Team
Ashley VanderHorst – Davenport
Jenn Kay Vander Meer – Davenport
Rachel Priore – California
Lauryn Antolock – West Virginia Wesleyan
Jaime Lancelot – West Alabama
Jordan Kuchenbrod – Bellarmine
Abbie Oetting – Bellarmine
Bailey Roszman – Bellarmine
 
UP NEXT
Davenport will next be in action on Friday, September 7 when they travel to Ashland University for their first conference match of the 2018 season. The first serve will happen at 7 p.m. sharp in Ashland, Ohio.

Story by: Devin Steiner
 
Picture credit: Alexis Hoffman