GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Davenport challenged No. 1 Ferris State through a pair of tight opening sets Saturday, but the Bulldogs pulled away late in both before closing out a 3-0 victory (25-22, 26-24, 25-17).
Amelia Werner led the Panthers with 13 kills, matching her career high for the second consecutive match after reaching the mark Friday against Northern Michigan. Werner hit .435 as Davenport finished with 44 kills to Ferris State's 43. The Panthers also held a 72-63 advantage in digs, led by Hayley Carr's 22.
Those efforts kept Davenport competitive, but Ferris State found the points it needed through its serving and blocking. The Bulldogs finished with nine aces and seven blocks, compared with four aces and one block for the Panthers, and hit .237 to Davenport's .209.
The opening set remained close through a 19-19 tie before Ferris State won five straight points. Davenport responded with consecutive kills from Werner, Rachel Youngblood and Karley Pretzer, trimming the deficit to 24-22, but a service error ended the Panthers' late push.
Davenport carried that response into the second set, taking an early 5-2 lead behind kills from Mariya Montgomery and Savanah Weathers and an Abby Alan ace. The Panthers stayed in front for much of the frame, with an Alan-Werner block extending their advantage to 12-9.
Ferris State eventually drew even at 17-17, but Davenport quickly regained the lead. A Bulldog error, a Pretzer kill and a Keira Dommer ace produced three straight points and put the Panthers ahead 20-17.
The Bulldogs rallied to reach set point at 24-22, leaving Davenport to fight its way back once more. Weathers delivered a kill, and Alan followed with an ace to tie the score at 24. Ferris State claimed the next two points, however, leaving the Panthers just short of evening the match.
After narrowly missing that opportunity, Davenport fell behind early in the third. Ferris State opened with five straight points and, after the Panthers pulled within 6-4, added another six-point run to build a 12-4 lead.
Davenport chipped away at the deficit, getting offensive contributions from Werner, Montgomery and Alan before a Pretzer kill brought the Panthers within 19-16. Ferris State halted the comeback there, taking six of the final seven points to complete the sweep.
Weathers finished with seven kills and 16 digs, while Dommer contributed 22 assists, five digs and a service ace.
The Panthers will head to Hammond, Ind., for the Midwest Region Crossover on Oct. 16-17.
