EAU CLAIRE — The Dowagiac volleyball team has played in two tournaments so far this season.

The Chieftains took first place at the Cass Classic back in August and followed that up with a title at the Eau Claire Invitational on Saturday.

The Chieftains swept through Bloomingdale (25-17, 25-21), Lawrence (25-17, 25-21) and Holland Christian (25-12, 25-9) to advance to the semifinals.

Dowagiac defeated the host Beavers 25-18 and 25-17 to move into the finals against former Wolverine Conference foe Berrien Springs.

The Chieftains needed three seats to knock off the Shamrocks for the championship.

Dowagiac defeated Berrien Springs 25-16, 15-25 and 15-11.

“Before the tournament, I sent the team in our group text, a quote to focus on for the day,” Dowagiac coach Rachel Zeider said. “Our focus was endurance and support. I think the girls really fed off the goals given for the day. They were communicating and moving their feet. All the things we worked on to progress this season.

“They were positive the whole day and had one goal in sight. The outcome was a great way to physically see the hard work being paid off with a first place plaque.”

Natalie Davis had a big day defensively with a team-high 115 digs.

At the net, Kenzie Cross led the team with 20 kills. She also added 73 digs.

Kelsey Crocker and Taylore Froehlich finished with 18 and 16 kills respectively, while Jessica Davis also had 16 kills.

Crocker, Jessica Davis and Taylor Pye also combined for 19 block assists.

Kassidy Binns led the team with 43 assists.