COLUMBIA, S.C. - the University of Michigan-Dearborn volleyball team looked to get one final tune-up before conference play begins next week. The Wolverines went south for that tune-up as they played in the Columbia International University Invitational. On day one of the two-day event, the Wolverines took both matches with a 3-2 come-from-behind victory over Faulkner and a 3-1 win over Reinhardt.
After splitting the opening two sets against Faulkner, the Wolverines dropped a critical third set and found themselves on the brink of defeat in the fourth. Trailing 15-11, the Wolverines battled back to tie things at 20. Both teams exchanged points before becoming 23-23. The Eagles committed an unforced error to make it 24-23; Wolverines, before Kielee Tondryk iced the game and gave UM-Dearborn a fourth-set victory and tied the match at 2-2.
In the decisive 5th set, UM-Dearborn stormed out to a 5-1 lead and forced the Eagles to play catchup for the remainder. The Wolverines stopped a mini-run of the Eagles to make it 13-12 with a kill from Marisa Fetterley. Faulkner again made an unforced error at the net, helping the Wolveirnes secure their fifth win in as many games. Tondryk led the Wolverines with 17 kills, but Marisa Fetterley was more efficient, hitting .375 and downing 16 kills while adding six blocks. Jill Paryaski was also critical, with nine kills and a .294 hitting percentage.
In game two, the Wolverines were carried by Kielee Tondryk. Tondryk was the only Wolverine with double-digit kills (21). Regan Rose was extremely influential in passing, dishing out 45 assists in the four-set contest. Rose nearly missed out on a double-double with eight digs. Jill Paryaski continued her strong early season stretch with nine kills.
Reinhardt won the first set 25-18. However, the Wolverines would not lose another set the rest of the match. UM-Dearborn won the final four sets 25-23, 27-25, and 25-19. Service errors plagued the Eagles as they committed 11 total errors in the match. The Eagles struggled with Kenzie Mertz all night as she tallied 25 digs.
