GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- The Siena Heights women's volleyball team beat Aquinas in straight sets to advance to the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) semifinal round. The fifth-seeded SHU Saints (19-8) outhit the home Saints in all three sets with totals of .226, .211, and .474. SHU recorded 38 kills to Aquinas's 28 while also recording ten service aces in the winning effort.

Janel Ruhlman hit .300 for the match as she and teammate Kadie Carsten (.294) led the Saints attack with eight kills. Aline Marinelo (.235), Autumn Anderson (.200), and Aubrey Bates (.444) each totaled six kills. Bates paced the SHU offense with 28 assists while recording seven digs. Carsten led defensively with eight digs on the evening, while Marinelo had a match-high four blocks.

The Saints hopped out to a quick 10-6 lead early in the opening set on the way to building a 24-17 lead in the later points. Two-straight points from Aquinas cut the lead to five, but a kill by Marinelo gave the navy and yellow the final point to secure the 1-0 lead. 

The second frame saw another SHU lead late. This time the advantage was 20-13. The home team cut things down to the slimmest of margins, 23-22. A block by Marinelo gave SHU the setpoint, and a kill by Olivia Norman sealed the 2-0 advantage.

The AQ Saints built a 6-2 lead in the third, but a 6-1 run by Siena a few plays later gave SHU a 10-9 edge. The score remained close to a tie at 14 before the SHU Saints used a 4-0 run to build a 4-point cushion. The Saints closed out the match with an 11-1 run to advance in the league tournament.

Up Next

The Saints move to the semifinal round to face the top-seeded Madonna Crusaders on Friday, November 12 at 5:00 p.m.

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