GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - For just the third time in 10 matches, the Davenport University women's volleyball team was able to win the first set when it did so on Saturday afternoon against Northern Michigan. However, the Wildcats took the second and third periods in dominant fashion before finishing the match off in four.

Northern Michigan 3, Davenport 1
(25-21, 16-25, 15-25, 23-25)

- In the first set, aside from one tie at 3-3, Davenport led for the entirety of the period.

- The Panthers led the set by as many as five on four different occasions including 9-4, 17-12, 22-17, and 23-18.

- That was by far DU's best hitting performance of the day (.222 hitting percentage) and NMU's worst (-.034).

- The Panthers led the second set by as many as three, 8-5, and their last lead, 9-7, came before an 8-0 Wildcat run.

- After that, Davenport was never closer than two points, 15-13, and as far away as six, 21-15 and 22-16.

- The Wildcats then notched the first two points of the third set and never really looked back.

- Five different times, the Panthers were able to cut their deficit to one point, but Northern Michigan heated up as the set went on.

- The fourth tie of the fourth set came at 19-19 before the home team took its first lead of the period, 20-19.

- The hosts led again at 21-20 before their visitors scored five of the final seven points to take the set and the match in four.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Davenport was led by Hayley Kreiger (11 kills and four service aces), Sami White (15 assists), Allisyn Grams (four blocks), and Nina Rudnitsky (10 digs).

- Northern Michigan played its best in the second and third sets with hitting percentages of .333 and .433, respectively.

- Abigail Durecki was the hot hand for the Wildcats as she sent home 12 kills with just two errors on 21 total attacks for a .476 hitting percentage.

NEXT UP
- Davenport will play its first match not on a Friday or Saturday when it travels to Grand Valley State on Tuesday for a 7 p.m. first serve.

Story by: Cooper Weidenthaler