TOURNAMENT INFO
HAMMOND, Ind. — Cedarville earned an impressive neutral-site victory over No. 21 Grand Valley State, defeating the Lakers 3–1 at the Midwest Crossover held at the Hammond Sportsplex.
The Lady Jackets improved to 13–3 overall with the statement win, while handing the nationally ranked Lakers their fifth loss of the season.
Cedarville's offense was in top form, hitting .311 as a team against one of the nation's top defensive units.
Janae Heegaard led the way with 13 kills on a blistering .632 hitting percentage and added five blocks.
Allie Pilat followed with 12 kills, while
Madelyn Hensley added 11. Setter
Kaley Matney directed the attack with 43 assists, four service aces, and seven digs.
Defensively,
Alivia Rutt anchored the back row with 18 digs, and
Cassi Shields contributed a double-double of 10 kills and 13 digs. The Lady Jackets totaled 53 digs and five team blocks while holding Grand Valley State to a .279 clip.
After trading the opening two sets, Cedarville controlled the third 25–17 and closed out the match in a tight fourth frame, 25–23, clinched on a kill by Pilat.
Quotable: Head Coach Greg Smith
"I thought the team did a great job this week of preparing for Grand Valley and for this tournament! I was very pleased with how well we carried out the game plan and competed well.
We did a really good job of bouncing back when Grand Valley went on point runs and I was proud with how we finished off the sets in this match."
Five Facts:
- Cedarville hit .311 as a team — the second-highest percentage of the season.
- Heegaard's .632 attack rate marked her third-best efficiency of the year.
- Matney tallied 43 assists for her 6th 40-assist performance of 2025.
- The Lady Jackets recorded eight service aces to the Lakers' seven.
- Cedarville improved to 2-0 this fall against nationally ranked opponents.
The Lady Jackets (13–3) continue Midwest Crossover play later Friday against Maryville at the Hammond Sportsplex.
