DETROIT, Mich. – After winning the first two sets, the Davenport University women's volleyball team held off a Wayne State comeback to earn a five-set victory Tuesday evening, 3-2 (25-16, 25-18, 17-25, 17-25, 15-8). The Panthers improved to 14-7 overall and 6-5 in GLIAC play, while the Warriors fell to 11-11 overall and 4-7 in the conference.
Davenport finished with 12 service aces, twice Wayne State's total, and won seven of the final eight points in the deciding set to secure the road victory.
Amelia Werner led the Panthers with 17 kills on a .452 hitting percentage, a new career-high for the sophomore.
Savanah Weathers added 11 kills, four service aces and 18 digs, while
Hayley Carr anchored the defense with a team-high 20 digs and two aces.
Keira Dommer paced Davenport with 28 assists and contributed three aces and five digs.
The Panthers opened the match with three consecutive points before Wayne State responded to tie the first set at 4-4. Davenport regained control with a 6-1 run fueled by two Weathers aces, an
Abby Alan ace and a Werner kill. The Panthers extended their advantage to 20-10, and although the Warriors trimmed the deficit to 22-16, Werner delivered back-to-back kills before
Rachel Youngblood finished the 25-16 victory.
Madison Berry assisted on all three closing kills.
Davenport carried that momentum into the second set, scoring the first four points behind two Weathers kills, a Carr ace and a block from Alan and Werner. Wayne State battled back to tie the score at 11-11, but the Panthers maintained a narrow lead before pulling away late. Leading 18-15, Davenport scored four straight points during Weathers' service turn, including back-to-back aces and a
Karley Pretzer kill. Pretzer added two more kills down the stretch, and a Wayne State service error gave the Panthers a 25-18 win and a 2-0 match lead.
The Warriors answered in the third set. Davenport erased an early deficit to draw even at 7-7 on a Dommer ace, then rallied from an 11-8 deficit with a Montgomery-Alan block, a Werner kill and a Carr ace. Wayne State eventually pulled ahead 19-15 before a late five-point run helped the hosts claim the set, 25-17.
Wayne State continued its comeback in the fourth, using seven consecutive points to turn an 8-5 lead into a 15-5 advantage. Weathers put down three kills as Davenport worked to close the gap, and a Werner kill brought the Panthers within 17-11. The Warriors maintained their lead the rest of the way, taking the set 25-17 to force a fifth.
Davenport regrouped in the deciding set, building an 8-3 advantage behind kills from
Kaitlyn Marsh, Weathers and Werner, along with an Alan ace. Wayne State responded with four straight points to pull within one, but the Panthers answered with a five-point run. Dommer served during the final four points of that stretch, contributing two aces, while Marsh added a kill as Davenport moved ahead 13-7. Alan recorded the Panthers' final two kills, both assisted by Dommer, to finish the match with a 15-8 victory.
Up Next
The Panthers return home to host Saginaw Valley State at 4 p.m. Saturday at the Davenport Student Center.
