Volleyball Opens Season Pair of 3-2 Wins At Warrior Invitational

OVERVIEW – OHIO DOMINICAN/WAYNE STATE (WARRIOR INVITATIONAL)

SCORE: Northwood Timberwolves 3, Ohio Dominican Panthers 2 (25-23, 21-25, 25-19, 21-25, 15-12) / Northwood 3, Wayne State Warriors 2 (25-22, 17-25, 23-25, 25-20, 15-13)

RECORDS: Northwood 2-0/Ohio Dominican 0-1/Wayne State 1-1

LOCATION: Matthaei Center – Detroit, Mich.

RECAP: Northwood Volleyball opens season by going 20 at the Warrior Invitational Friday (September 6), earning a pair of dramatic 3-2 wins over Ohio Dominican and host Wayne State.

INSIDE THE MATCH - OHIO DOMINICAN (NON-CONFERENCE)

• The start of the opening set was tightly contested, with the first three-point lead of the match coming when Northwood went on top 15-12. The Timberwolves finished off a 6-0 run to push their lead all the way to 19-12. Ohio Dominican did not go away, however, as the Panthers posted a 6-1 run late to get within one at 24-23. Northwood claimed the final point to take the first set 25-23 for a 1-0 advantage.
• Set two was evenly played much of the time as well, as the first three-point lead of the second did not come until ODU used a 6-2 run to go up 19-16. The Panthers eventually led 22-18 and went on to take the set 25-21 to level the match at 1-1.
• After a pair of sets that were closely contested, the third set featured a number of runs for both teams. Ohio Dominican used the momentum from taking the second set to score the opening four points of the third. NU rallied back to tie the score at 9-9. With the score tied 10-10, the Timberwolves put up six straight points to open 16-10 advantage. NU did not allow ODU to get any closer than four the rest of the way, as the Timberwolves eventually took the set 25-19 to go up 2-1 overall.
• The fourth set was very similar to the third, with the two teams flipping roles. Northwood came out fast, scoring the first four points. Northwood eventually led 7-2 when the Panthers made a run, scoring eight of the next 11 points to tie the score at 10-10. With the score tied 13-13, ODU took over. The Panthers put up six of the next eight points to take a 19-15 lead. NU got within two points at 19-17 and 22-20 but no closer as Ohio Dominican leveled the match at 2-2 with a 25-21 win.
• ODU scored four of the first six points of the final set before Northwood responded with five of the next six points to go put NU on top 7-5. ODU came back to tie the score at 9-9 when Northwood made the key run to close out the match. NU scored the next four points to take a 13-9 lead. The Panthers got back within two at 14-12 before the Timberwolves closed out the victory at 15-12.

MATCH STATS - OHIO DOMINICAN

• HITTING: Ohio Dominican .182 (64-32-176), Northwood .213 (61-26-164)
• DIGS: Ohio Dominican 72, Northwood 70 (Sophia Oakes – 19)
• BLOCKS: Ohio Dominican 11, Northwood 10 (Sydney Hasenfratz/Madeline Heil – Five)
• ACES: Ohio Dominican 5, Northwood 6 (Sage Kissman  – Three)

TOP NU PERFORMERS - OHIO DOMINICAN

• Hasenfratz: 17 kills, five blocks, .407 attack percentage (17-6-27)
• Kiana Martens: 16 kills, 14 digs, two blocks
• Olivia Ott: 11 kills, seven digs
• Kissman: 10 kills, three aces, two blocks
• Oakes: 19 digs, two aces
• Renee Brines:  48 assists, three kills

INSIDE THE MATCH - WAYNE STATE

• Northwood got off to a fast start in the opening set, putting up five of the first six points. Wayne State later with five straight points to take a 9-7 lead.  With the score tied 20-20, the Timberwolves put up four of the next five points to take a 24-21 lead. NU eventually took the set 25-22 for a 1-0 lead.
• The key stretch of the second set came after a tightly contested start and the score was tied 13-13. The Warriors scored eight of the next nine points to go up 21-14. Northwood got no closer than five the rest of the set, which was won by WSU 25-17.
• Set three was close throughout, with the first three-point lead for either team coming when Wayne State went up 19-16. With the score 20-17, Northwood scored three straight points to level the score at 20-20. At 22-22, Wayne State scored two points in a row to set up a pair of set points. The Warriors finished the set at 25-23 to take a 2-1 lead.
• Northwood was the better team to start the fourth set, scoring five of the first six points. The Timberwolves continued to stay in control, extending their lead to as many as seven (14-7). WSU got back within two down the stretch four times, but NU was able to close out the set 25-20 to force a decisive fifth set.
• The final set matched much of the day for Northwood – tightly contested. The first three-point lead of the set came when the Timberwolves went on top 10-7. Trailing 12-9, Wayne State scored three straight points to level the score 12-12. NU responded with two straight points to set up two match points. On their second try, Northwood earned the set 15-13 and the match 3-2.

MATCH STATS - WAYNE STATE

• HITTING: Wayne State .248 (62-26-145), Northwood .267 (61-22-146)
• DIGS: Wayne State 55, Northwood 52 (Sophia Oakes/Martens – 11)
• BLOCKS: Wayne State 10, Northwood 3 (Heil – Three)
• ACES: Wayne State 8, Northwood 8 (Oakes/Brines/Martens – Two)

TOP NU PERFORMERS - WAYNE STATE

• Hasenfratz: 21 kills, .4249attack percentage (21-6-35)
• Martens: 15 kills, 11 digs, two aces
• KIssman: 13 kills, five digs, two blocks
• Brines: 53 assists, nine digs, two aces

UP NEXT

• Northwood will wrap up the Warrior Invitational with a match against Frostburg State Saturday (September 7) at 1 p.m.