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Posted by Patrick Moore - Volleyball - Sat, Sep 5, 2009
The 2009 ERAU Labor Day Classic Champion Madonna Crusaders
The 2009 ERAU Labor Day Classic Champion Madonna Crusaders
Site: Daytona Beach, Fla. (ICI Homes Center)
Score: No. 12 Madonna 3, Embry-Riddle 1 (25-22, 16-25, 25-18, 25-18)
Records: MU (8-0), ERAU (7-1)
Next MU event: Friday, Sept. 11 | vs. Spring Arbor at the Julie Martin Memorial Classic (Livonia, Mich.)
 

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - - Behind 21 kills from tournament most valuable player Mary McGinnis (Fraser, Mich.) the No. 12-ranked Madonna University volleyball team took home the championship with a 3-1 win over host Embry-Riddle, 25-22, 16-25, 25-18, 25-18, at the ERAU Labor Day Classic inside the ICI Homes Center on Saturday (Sept. 5) night.

Backing up McGinnis were junior outside hitter Liz Dempsey (Westland, Mich.) with 10 kills and 11 digs while the Crusaders also got 10 kills from sophomore outside hitter Katie Czarnecki (Chesterfield, Mich.). All-tournament selection sophomore middle hitter Karie Altman (Taylor, Mich.) posted six kills and seven block assists while fellow all-tournament pick senior setter Inta Grinvalds (Portage, Mich.) handed out 49 assists and dug seven balls for the victorious Crusaders.

The Crusader hitting was on in set one as the Royal Blue and Gold connected at a staggering .469 clip, posting 17 kills against just two errors in taking set one 25-22. After the set was tied at 19-all on a combo block from Altman and Dempsey, MU never trailed again, using three kills from McGinnis to go along with kills from Altman and Czarnecki to take the 25-22 win.

As much as the MU offense was in sync in the first set, it was out of sync in the second, connecting on just 11 kills in 38 swings while committing six errors in falling 25-16. The Crusaders were also charged with a pair each of service errors and reception errors in the nine-point setback.

Set three of the match was all MU again as after taking the lead for good at 2-1, the Crusaders used a consistent and steady offense to regain the lead in the match at 2-1. A block from sophomore middle hitter Marie Martin (Canton, Mich.) and McGinnis made it 21-16 MU and from there kills from Dempsey, McGinnis and Martin along with a service ace from junior defensive specialist Anna Gatt (Livonia, Mich.) gave MU the 25-18 win.

The fourth and final set was what head coach Jerry Abraham called "The way Madonna volleyball is played," following the match as the Crusaders led wire-to-wire in another 25-18 win to seal the match and the championship. MU opened the set on a 4-0 run compliments of a pair of McGinnis kills before back-to-back kills from Dempsey followed by a Martin kill pushed the MU lead to five at 11-6. ERAU called time out trailing 19-11 but the MU lead grew to nine following the break as Czarnecki back set McGinnis who hammered down a cross court winner to push the lead to 20-11. Czarnecki then ended the match off of a Grinvalds set to the middle of the net beating the Eagle block for a 25-18 win.

Following the match Altman and Grinvalds were named to the six-person all-tournament team while McGinnis took home MVP honors for her efforts in the four MU victories. For the weekend McGinnis led MU with 69 kills for a 4.6 kills per set average and a .335 hitting percentage. The senior co-captain added four service aces along with 24 digs and 10 block assists. Altman posted 31 kills to go along with 15 block assists while Grinvalds handed out 168 assists for an 11.6 per set average.

After two weekends on the road the Crusaders return home to host the annual Julie Martin Memorial Classic on Sept. 11 and 12 inside the Activities Center. MU opens play on Friday at 3pm against Spring Arbor.