GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - The Davenport University women's volleyball team survived a five-set thriller with Northwood on Friday night inside the Student Center. Not only did the Panthers push their winning streak to four matches, but they won their first five-set match at home since 2017 (0-3 in that span). DU improved to 3-0 all-time against the Timberwolves and did so despite dropping sets three and four.

THE BASICS
Northwood 2 (4-11, 4-4 GLIAC)
Davenport 3 (6-10, 4-4 GLIAC)
(25-18, 25-22, 23-25, 28-30, 15-8)

MATCH HIGHLIGHTS
- Northwood led by as many as three in the first set, 15-12 and 16-13, before Davenport put down the hammer and scored 12 of the next 14 points to win the set.

- After the Panthers scored the first two points of the second set, the Timberwolves rattled off four straight, their biggest run of the period.

- Following three more ties, the home team took its first lead of the set at 10-9, but after that came two more deadlocks.

- Davenport then responded with nine of a possible 12 points to go up by six, 20-14, its biggest advantage of the set.

- From there until the end of the set, Northwood was never closer than two at 24-22.

- The Panthers' biggest lead in the third was two, but it came early at 7-5.

- The set was tight the whole way, though, before a final tie at 22-22, which the visitors erased with three of the final four points.

- As the score suggests, the fourth set was an absolute nail biter with 19 ties and six lead changes, but the Timberwolves won it to force a fifth.

- The fifth and deciding set was tied five times in the first 14 total points, but that 14th point opened up a 9-1 spurt by Davenport to win the whole thing.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Three different Panthers racked up at least 10 kills including Kendra DeJonge (16), Hayley Kreiger (15) and Emmy Webb (12).

- DeJonge had a big day on the court as she stuffed the stat sheet with those match-high 16 kills, nine digs, three service aces, and five blocks.

- DeJonge hit .267 while Webb connected at a blistering clip of .417. In three of Webb's 10-kill matches, she has hit at least .400.

- Sami White was the team's point guard with 50 assists while Jenna Asper appeared in just her seventh match of the season, first at home, and tied for the team lead in aces with three.

- Defensively, Webb also had four blocks and Nina Rudnitsky paced the team in digs with 22.

UP NEXT
Davenport will host No. 14 Ferris State on Saturday with first serve set for 2 p.m.

Story by: Cooper Weidenthaler