Bollenbacher Becomes SAU's All-time Kills Leader, Cougars March on in CLT

UPLAND, Ind. – The Spring Arbor University volleyball team continued its historic season on Saturday night, earning its first conference tournament win since 2011 with a commanding 3-0 (25-22, 25-17, 25-9) sweep of Taylor University in the Crossroads League Tournament Quarterfinals.

After dropping both regular season meetings to Taylor, Spring Arbor flipped the script when it mattered most. The Cougars found their rhythm early, grinding out a tight first set before taking control of the match behind aggressive serving and balanced offense. SAU dominated the third set, hitting .429 as a team while limiting the Trojans to -.079 to close out the match in decisive fashion.

Senior Kendall Bollenbacher led the way with nine kills, and in the process, etching her name in the record books becoming Spring Arbor's career kills leader (25-pt rally scoring, 2008-present), surpassing the previous record of 1,363 held by Annie Jones (2008-11). Along with her nine kills, which gives her 1,370 for her career, Bollenbacher added two aces and 13 digs – now just four digs away from 1,000 during her time at SAU.

Natasha Bickel also posted nine kills with an outstanding .533 hitting percentage and Isabelle Kirkendall followed with eight. Gabby Bryja finished with 16 assists while Camy Wedge registered a double-double with 15 assists and 12 digs. Libero Palmer Fortress had a team-high 16 digs and Keely Hinzman picked up six blocks.

With the win, Spring Arbor (23-9) advances to the Crossroads League Tournament Semifinals and will take on the regular season champions, and No. 8 ranked, Indiana Wesleyan University (25-4) on Wednesday, Nov. 12 at 7 p.m. in Marion, Indiana.