Ashland University’s volleyball squad headed back on the road this weekend. 

They ended up in Michigan where two ranked opponents would be waiting for them. 

The first was the 15th-ranked Ferris State Bulldogs. The sets were close, but Ashland couldn’t break through, and they took the loss 3-0, 19-25, 20-25, and 21-25. 

“The three wins we got last week definitely helped our confidence,” said AU head coach Cass Dixon. “However, we knew that Grand Valley and Ferris were going to be tough matches and that we would have to play our best.”

During the first set, each team had their share of momentum. 

Ashland had some great runs and Ferris St. had some comebacks.

Dixon felt the way to keep in the game was to stay calm and collected. 

“We stressed playing with poise. Those teams are going to have some big plays. But if we focus on what we can control, then those big plays won’t seem so big.”

The Eagles showed great offensive poise. 

Alli Cudworth led the team with 10 kills on the night. She also tallied two service aces. 

The team as a whole had 32 kills on 111 attempts. 

Maureen Johnson had seven kills. 

The Bulldogs hit .200 on the night.

Another standout player was Casey Clark. She had nine kills, 15 digs, and one block assist.

Defensively, libero Jennifer Vander Meer came in strong again leading the team with 20 digs and recorded two assists. 

Johnson had one solo block and two block assists. 

“I think as a whole we put together some great runs of points against Ferris. When we executed our game plan, we were extremely competitive and had opportunities to take the match,” said Dixon.

As the sets went on, Ashland improved and was in close proximity of coming out on top. 

The score was tied nine times in the third set, but the Bulldogs were able to capitalize on the Eagles’ struggle towards the end.

“We played really well up until about 15 points in each set but then allowed either team to get a run of points. We fought back, but the push ended up being too close to the end,” Dixon said.

The second opponent on this road trip for the Eagles was the 12th-ranked Grand Valley State University Lakers. 

After another tough fought match that included some close scoring, Ashland wasn’t able to hang on and ended up falling 3-0, 19-25, 17-25, and 23-25.

In the first set, Ashland was able to take a lead with the help of Sam Zuber. She led the team with seven kills. 

The team as a whole had 29 kills. 

Casey Clark and Rylee Scott both contributed with six a piece.

Throughout the sets, the Eagles tried to incorporate their team strategy to get them to a lofty goal of taking down the national ranked Lakers, but they couldn’t execute the way they intended.

“We talked to them about continuing to stick to the game plan,” Cass Dixon said. “I think both days we played well right off the start, but just couldn’t finish.”

Casey Clark was the defense queen for Ashland that night, recording 13 digs.

Despite the offesnive struggles, the Eagles defense kept them haning around.

“Defense keeps you in games when you’re struggling offensively,” said Dixon.

During the third set, the Eagles had an exciting 6-1 run to take the quick lead, but it would only be quick as the next point would be a kill from GVSU to take the set and the match.

Ashland is now 4-9 overall and 4-5 in the GLIAC. 

Their next game will be hosting Saginaw Valley on Oct. 10 at 7pm. 

“We haven’t played Saginaw yet this year, but in the past two years we have seen them be really tough. They are a great defensive team,” Dixon said.