Volleyball advances to WHAC Semifinals with sweep over Madonna

(Rochester Hills, MI) - The Rochester Christian women's volleyball team hosted the Quarterfinal round of the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) tournament in front of a packed Garth Pleasant Arena on Wednesday evening, playing host to the Crusaders from Madonna University. The Warriors pulled out their second sweep against the Crusaders this season and their third win overall against Madonna. 

The first set of the evening saw the Warriors escape with a 25-21 win. Kendal Zeiter scored the first point for RCU on a powerful kill. Five of the next six points would go the way of RCU, with Mackenzie Keefer and Chante Hudgins getting blocks. The Warriors would force a MU timeout after taking a 15-11 lead following a block by Keefer and Hudgins. RCU built the lead to 20-16 before MU took the next three points to make it a one-point set. RCU grabbed five of the final seven points to earn the 25-21 win. 

Madonna took an early 7-2 lead to start the second set of the evening. RCU battled their way back into the set on a Hailee Mancogna serving run, where Kendal Zeiter earned a pair of kills as well as blocked an attack with Chante Hudgins. RCU was able to tie the match up at 12 and scored seven of the next 10 points by way of a couple of kills from Mancogna and an Allison Scott ace. MU forced an RCU timeout getting the score to 20-19, but RCU stormed back scoring five of the final six points, with Alivia Everitt and Zeiter getting a block on the final point. 

Kendla Zeiter and Madelyn Geisenhaver got the RCU scoring started right away with the first two points. The teams would then start to trade points back and forth as neither team could grab the lead. After an 11-11 tie, RCU scored four straight with three MU errors to force a timeout, and would score three of the next four points as well to push the lead to 18-12. The teams traded points the rest of the way, though, as RCU would ultimately win the set 25-19. 

TOP PERFORMERS

Kendal Zeiter led the way offensively with 12 kills and a hitting percentage of .417. Alivia Everitt (7), Hailee Mancogna (6), and Madelyn Geisenhaver (6) added kills as well. Mackenzie Keefer led the passing with 28 assists. 

Leading the defense was Chante Hudgins, who tallied seven total blocks in the game with two solo. Alivia Everitt totaled five blocks, while Mackenzie Keefer and Kendal Zeiter each tallied three. Ashley Horne was the lone Warrior in double figures for digs with 14. 

UP NEXT

RCU will travel over to Grand Rapids, Michigan, for the semifinal round of the WHAC Tournament for a match against the top-seeded Aquinas on Friday, November 12.