Northwest Wayne News

Wayne State University's volleyball team concluded its 2023 season with a loss to Davenport University. The Warriors, who needed either a win or a Lake Superior State loss to continue their season, were defeated by the Panthers in five sets. Meanwhile, Lake Superior State secured a victory against Michigan Tech.

The match began positively for Wayne State as they hit .292 compared to Davenport's -.077 in the first set. The Warriors led significantly during this period but couldn't maintain the momentum. In the second set, Davenport excelled offensively with a .342 hitting percentage. Wayne State responded well in the third set with their best offensive performance of .355 and led by nine points at one stage.

In the fourth set, Wayne State was ahead 13-9 before Davenport took control with an eight-point run. Despite efforts from the Warriors to tie the score at 23-23, Davenport clinched back-to-back points to take the set. The final deciding set saw several ties and lead changes; however, after leading briefly, Wayne State could not regain control following a five-point streak from Davenport.

Molly Miller led Wayne State with 21 kills, followed by Kayla Giroux and Katie Smith with 14 and 10 kills respectively. Kayla Dulgar recorded four aces and achieved her 11th double-double of the fall season. Kendyl Andrews contributed significantly on defense with 27 digs.

Giroux ended her season with a .354 hitting percentage, tying for the best mark in program history alongside Olivia Fike's record from 2019. Smith reached double figures for kills for her fifth time as a rookie.

Despite out-hitting Davenport overall (.216 to .173), Wayne State struggled with service errors totaling eighteen compared to nine by their opponents.