Volleyball starts WHAC play with a win over Michigan-Dearborn

(Rochester Hill, MI) - The Rochester Christian Women's Volleyball team opened up their home schedule at Garth Pleasant Arena on Wednesday evening as the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) season also began. The Warriors' first opponent of conference play would be the Wolverines from Michigan-Dearborn. With the 3-1 win tonight, the Warriors claim their first WHAC victory since the 2023 season. 

RCU entered tonight's match with a 5-3 record, while the Wolverines came in at 2-6. 

RCU 3, UMD 1

RCU took the first set and the third and fourth sets of the game to claim the 3-1 victory. 

The first set saw a lot of back and forth early until RCU was able to take a 10-6 lead, with a five-point run, and was able to control the remainder of the set. From that point, Kendal Zeiter, Kourtney Mack, and Chante Hudgins were all able to get a couple of kills as the Warriors took advantage of a couple of UMD errors to win set #1.

RCU earned the first point of set two after a UMD error, and the two teams alternated points. The Wolverines used a couple of service aces to gain a slight edge in the set and were eventually able to jump out to a 23-14 lead. RCU used a run towards the end of the set to attempt a comeback, which included an Ashley Horne ace and an Alivia Everitt kill, but it wasn't enough, as the Wolverines tied the match at 1 set apiece. 

A third straight close set started with a Mackenzie Keefer service ace, followed by blocks from Alivia Everitt and Kendal Zeiter. RCU and UMD kept it close with 10 ties throughout the set. After an RCU timeout, the Warriors would score seven of the final points with Alyssa Swanson getting a kill and Alivia Everitt and Madelyn Geisenhaver earning blocks.

The final set of the evening saw a tight early match, before UMD jumped out to a 17-10 lead. Chante Hudgins got herself a kill, which sparked a 12-point run, with Madelyn Geisenhaver serving, by the Warriors, which included multiple blocks from Hailee Mancogna and Chante Hudgins. Kendal Zeiter and Hailee Mancogna were able to combine for the final three points. 

TOP PERFORMERS

Kendal Zeiter led the way with 14 kills on the evening, while Chante Hudgins and Hailee Mancogna followed up with eight and six, respectively. Mackenzie Keefer added 18 assists, with Emma Hock totaling 10 and Hannah Roddis eight. 

Chante Hudgins highlighted the defensive end of the ball with 10 total blocks (five solo, five assisted), and Hailee Mancogna, Alivia Everitt, and Kendal Zeiter each recorded four total blocks. Ashley Horne led the back line defense with 15 digs, while Karli Rohraff had 14. 

UP NEXT

The Warriors' next match will be at Madonna on September 10th with a 7 PM start.