DOWAGIAC — The Dowagiac volleyball team swept all four opponents en route to winning the Eau Claire Invitational on Saturday.

The Chieftains defeated Bloomingdale 25-14 and 25-13, and Lawrence 25-18, 25-21 to advance to the semifinals.

Dowagiac swept New Buffalo 25-14 and 25-17 before winning the tournament title with a 25-13 and 25-14 win over Berrien Springs.

“The ladies put in a good day’s work and went unbeaten,” said Dowagiac coach Tony Hooley. “Good teams win the games they are expected to win. Great teams steal games they are not expected to win. We have a great opportunity this coming week to play some top-notched competition. I am looking forward to the challenge and to see how we can grow in our mental toughness as well as our skill sets.”

This is the second tournament title of the season for the Chieftains, who kicked off 2018 with a win in Cassopolis at the Tracy Baker Memorial.

Senior Amiyah Smith had a big day for Dowagiac with 29 kills, eight digs and six blocks.

Megan Davis, a freshman, had 22 kills, 24 digs and four aces, while junior Jenna Davis finished with 16 kills, seven digs, six aces and four blocks.

Jessie Hulett had 54 assists, eight digs, four kills and four aces.

“Both our outsides had huge days for us,” Holley said. “Amiyah Smith led the team at the net in kills and blocks. She is only scratching the surface of what she is capable of doing as an athlete in this program. The other outside hitter, freshman Megan Davis, had a coming out party. Megan, along with her sister Jenna, changed the momentum of several games today with their efforts at the service line and at the net.”

Dowagiac returns to action Thursday when it hosts Edwardsburg in a Wolverine Conference match.

At Allegan

Dowagiac picked up its first Wolverine Conference win of the season as it defeated host Allegan 3-1 Thursday.

The Chieftains defeated the Tigers 22-25, 25-17, 25-17 and 25-15.

Dowagiac is now 1-2 in league matches.

“It feels nice to break into the Wolverine Conference win column,” Hooley said. “We have had a week or more of tough practices with some growing tensions as we try to reach a higher level of play. This win feels like a small reward for all that hard work, especially since everyone got to contribute.”

Crocker led Dowagiac with 12 kills, four digs and two blocks, while Jenna Davis had six kills, two aces and two digs. Smith finished with nine kills and three digs.

Megan Davis added five kills, 14 digs and two aces.

Hulett finished with 14 assists and five digs.