GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - For the first time since opening weekend, Cornerstone women's volleyball will play matches on back-to-back days with a non-conference home match vs. Saint Xavier Friday night and a Saturday WHAC road trip to (19) Madonna. The undefeated Golden Eagles have their eyes set on a program record needing just one win to tie the record of 13 set back in 2004 and two to break it, with a 14-0 start. Both matches will have live video/stats and can be found at the links below.
NOTE: Cornerstone will be sticking with their four guests per home athlete pass list and Golden Eagle club members ONLY for this weekend's home match despite the updated information from the MDHHS. Re-evaluation of CU's policies will take place next week as restrictions have been loosened.
Opponent: Saint Xavier
Location: Grand Rapids, Mich. (Mol Arena)
Time: 6 p.m.
Live Video
Live Stats
Opponent: (19) Madonna
Location: Livonia, Mich. (Alliance Catholic Credit Union Arena)
Time: 1 p.m.
Live Video
Live Stats
Block Party leads to WHAC Defender of the Week
Alexis Angus led a lethal block last week as CU recorded back-to-back season highs in blocks with 10 at Siena Heights and 19 at Lourdes in their two wins.
Alexis Angus recorded seven in the first match and a career high 12 in the second match earning her the WHAC Defender of the Week Award, her first honor of her career.
Kayla Clark also had a career high eight blocks in the game at Lourdes. Angus currently leads the team with 44 blocks and ranks 26th in the NAIA averaging 1.1 blocks per set. In her career, Angus surpassed the 200 career block mark and now holds 201.
Return of Olivia Keelean
In a year where COVID-19 continues to be at the forefront of all athletics,
Olivia Keelean will return to play after missing the last three contests due to contact tracing outside of the program. Keelean often plays all six rotations and is currently fifth on the team in kills with 50 and third on the team in digs with 97. Fellow sophomore
Rylie Walters took Keeleans place in her absence and played outstanding recording a career high nine kills at Lourdes.
Inching Closer to Milestones
Kayla Clark,
Bailey Cummings, and
Patsy Morris are all nearing major milestones as Clark is 131 assists away from 3,000, Cummings is 59 kills from 1,000 and Morris is 125 digs away from 1,000. All three are currently on pace to break their respective records at roughly the same time this season.
Scouting Saint Xavier
Saint Xavier competes in the Chicagolands Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) and so far this season has gone 4-4, 3-4 CCAC. They are scheduled to play Governors State tonight before traveling to Grand Rapids but they have lost their last three matches, two of those in five sets. The Cougars are a very young team with just three seniors on the roster, but two of those seniors lead SXU offensively in Nadia Atton and Jessica Belseth. Similarly to Cornerstone, Saint Xavier is a great serving team, averaging 1.97 service aces per set to rank 32nd in the NAIA. In 2019, Saint Xavier struggled finishing with a 12-22 overall record under 33 year veteran head coach Bob Heersema. All-time, Cornerstone and Saint Xavier have been an even matchup as CU has gone 8-7 in 15 meetings with the Cougars.
Scouting Madonna
After being ranked 19th in the latest NAIA Top 25 poll, Madonna has seen some struggles going 4-2 in their last six matches getting swept by Cornerstone and losing in five sets at Lourdes. The two teams met just a few weeks ago for the first time this season in Grand Rapids and the Golden Eagles played one of their best matches of the year, sweeping the Crusaders 25-20, 25-21, 25-22. Senior Jodie Kelly continues to be the star of the show for Madonna, recording a team best 174 kills, over 100 more than the next best on the roster. Kelly has also been set over 250 times more than the next most on the roster and is hitting a blistering .262 on the year. Last time out, Cornerstone was able to limit Kelly, as she hit just .116 on the match with 13 kills and was hitting in the negatives after the first two sets.
