Grand Rapids, Mich. – Women's Volleyball went head-to-head with the Indiana Tech Warriors inside of the Sturrus Sports & Fitness Center hosted by the top seed Aquinas Saints. This WHAC Semifinal held massive ramifications for the Golden Eagles as they played for a NAIA National Tournament bid. With tonight's win they secure a spot in hopes to chase a red banner and make history. Cornerstone caps off their WHAC play tomorrow at 2:00 p.m. with a massive showdown of the #1 seed Aquinas versus the #2 seed Cornerstone in the Championship match.
Game Recap – #RV Cornerstone – 3 Indiana Tech – 1 (25-16, 25-18, 23-25, 25-17)
First Set: Cornerstone – 25 Indiana Tech – 16
- Gianna Warwick and Aubrey Johnson came out of the gates serving well as they both collected aces in the first few points of the match.
- Josilyn Potter gathered a pair of kills to help Cornerstone stay level at 10-10 in set one.
- The serving success continued for Cornerstone as they forced Indiana Tech into a timeout and took a commanding 18-13 lead.
- Payton Hutchinson found back-to-back aces to close out the first set with the Golden Eagles rolling early.
Second Set: Cornerstone – 25 Indiana Tech – 18
- Indiana Tech continued to struggle beginning the second set as Cornerstone serves would not allow for easy returns as the Golden Eagles led 6-3.
- Gwyn VerBerkmoes was able to stretch the Golden Eagles lead down the stretch of the set with big swings as Cornerstone had their eyes on a massive 21-15 lead.
- Aubrey Johnson took a massive swing to end the set 25-18 and collect her fourth kill of the set to help Cornerstone reach a 2-0 match lead.
Third Set: Cornerstone – 23 Indiana Tech – 25
- The Warriors showed their fight to begin the third set and took a quick 4-0 lead with their season hanging in the balance.
- The Golden Eagles fought back and only trailed by one point, but Indiana Tech continued to stretch the lead out of reach for the Golden Eagles.
- Cornerstone finally found their first lead in the set off an Olivia Endris service ace up 17-16.
- The Golden Eagles attempted to work through the set with multiple timeouts but fell just shy 25-23 in the third set making the match in reach for Indiana Tech now down 1-2.
Fourth Set: Cornerstone – 25 Indiana Tech – 17
- Emmalee Murphy set the tone quickly for the Golden Eagles to give them a 4-1 lead.
- Cornerstone saw their best hitter Aubrey Johnson continue her magic with five more kills give the Golden Eagles a 16-9 advantage.
- Gabby VerBerkmoes added her strength from the middle with massive blocks and kills in the final points of the match to ultimately earn Cornerstone the win.
- The Golden Eagles win secures the much desired rematch in the final with the Aquinas Saints who have been undefeated this season against WHAC opponents.
By The Numbers:
8 – Cornerstone will now make their 8
th NAIA National Tournament appearance since their last appearance in 2022.
15 – The Golden Eagles dominated the serving in the match with 15 aces.
12 –
Aubrey Johnson led the front line with 12 kills for Cornerstone.
What's Next?
Women's Volleyball has it all to play for on Saturday, November 15 at 2:00 p.m. as they take on the Aquinas Saints in the WHAC Championship Final.
Volleyball Contact:
Mason Young
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