ASHLAND, Ohio - Only 461 days after the Davenport University women's volleyball team was last in action, it opened the spring 2021 campaign at Ashland. The Eagles won the opener in four sets on Friday before sweeping the Panthers on Saturday.

Match 1 (Friday): Ashland 3, Davenport 1 (20-25, 25-14, 23-25, 20-25)

Team Leaders
Megan Herr: 14 kills, 3 blocks, .286 hitting %
Hayley Kreiger: 13 kills, 11 digs, .125 hitting %, 1 ace
Grace Hayes: 20 assists
Nicole Odeen: 15 assists, 1 ace
Nina Rudnitsky: 24 digs
Kendra DeJonge: 15 digs, 2 blocks, 1 ace

How It Happened
- The first set saw six ties in the first 18 total points, the sixth of which opened up a 7-2 run for Davenport that put it ahead by four, 15-11.
- Ashland then answered with six-straight points, 10 of the next 12 and 14 of the final 19 to win the set.
- The second set saw the Panthers perform their best as they hit .344 with 13 kills and only two errors on 32 swings.
- Davenport tallied nine of the first 11 points and never led by fewer than six from there until the end of the period.
- For Ashland, its best offensive set of the night came in the third when it hit .314 with 13 kills and two errors on 35 attacks.
- In that set, the Panthers opened with the first three points before the Eagles came right back with the next five.
- Davenport would then cut the deficit to one five different times with the sixth being the charm as it finally tied up the score at 23-23.
- However, Ashland scored the next two points to take the set and a 2-1 match lead.
- The visitors opened the fourth set with an 8-3 run before the home team responded with a 14-4 spurt of its own to go ahead by five, 17-12.
- Davenport rattled off the next five points to tie it for a final time at 17-17, but Ashland finished the set and match with an 8-3 run.

Match 2 (Saturday): Ashland 3, Davenport 0 (20-25, 26-28, 16-25)

Team Leaders
Megan Herr: 12 kills, .152 hitting %, 5 digs, 1 block, 1 ace
Hayley Kreiger: 9 kills, .093 hitting %, 10 digs, 2 blocks, 1 ace
Grace Hayes: 16 assists
Nicole Odeen: 12 assists, 6 digs
Kendra DeJonge: 4 blocks, 9 digs, 1 ace
Nina Rudnitsky: 20 digs
Gabie Shellenbarger: 14 digs

How It Happened
- The first set carried nine ties and five lead changes in the first 20 total points scored.
- Once it was 10-10, Ashland took the lead and held it for some time before Davenport eventually took it back at 19-18.
- However, the home team ended the set with seven of the final eight points to win it and go up 1-0 in the match.
- The second set was the only one in either match that saw extra points as it featured seven deadlocks and four lead changes.
- Ashland scored the first seven points and Davenport's first lead didn't come until 17-16.
- The Eagles wouldn't lead again until 22-21, but the set was far from over.
- Three more ties would come, the final one at 26-26, before the hosts ended the set with the next two points.
- In the third, Ashland scored 10 of the first 14 points and 13 of the first 18 to force a Davenport timeout.
- After that, the Panthers could never get closer to the Eagles than six points.

Next Up
Davenport will be at home on Friday against Purdue Northwest with first serve set for 8 p.m. inside the DU Student Center.

Story by: Cooper Weidenthaler