By SCOTT NOVAK

scott.novak@leaderpub.com

DELTON — The Dowagiac volleyball team showed improvement in its runner-up finish at the Delton-Kellogg Tournament on Wednesday,

The Chieftains went 4-2, beating Eau Claire, Bloomingdale, Saugatuck and host Delton-Kellogg.

Dowagiac was defeated by the host school in pool play and by Hopkins in the championship match.

“We did some good things today and showed some progress in both the physical and mental areas of our game,” said Dowagiac coach Tony Hooley. “Finishing runner-up in this tournament should help the girls gain some confidence as we go forward.”

In pool play, the Chieftains knocked off the Beavers 25-11, 25-5, the Cardinals 25-12, 25-5, was defeated by Delton Kellogg 25-17, 25-16 before rebounding to beat Saugatuck 25-17, 25-16.

In the semifinals, Dowagiac avenged its pool play loss by beating Delton-Kellogg 25-23 and 25-13.

In the finals, Hopkins defeated the Chieftains 25-15 and 25-18.

Megan Davis had a big day at the net with 24 kills and six blocks. The Chieftains also got 18 kills and three blocks from Riley Stack and 13 kills from Allie Conner. Jenna Davis finished with 11 kills. Conner also had 18 digs and 10 aces.

Nicole Whan finished the tournament with 79 assists, 11 aces and 12 digs, while Jessie Hulett finished with 14 assists, 23 aces, 10 digs and six kills. Anna Dobberstein led Dowagiac with 24 digs. Madison Potter led the team with seven blocks.

The Chieftains open up the home portion of their schedule by hosting Three Rivers for a Wolverine Conference match Thursday.

Play is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m.