The Grand Valley State University women’s volleyball team (14-1) finished out the weekend with convincing wins against Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) opponents Saginaw Valley State University Cardinals and Wayne State University Warriors in two dominant 3-0 sweeps.
Lakers’ head coach Jason Johnson was impressed with how his team played this weekend with both his offense and defense playing at high levels.
“Our serving and passing was fantastic this weekend. We never allowed either team to feel comfortable; we were always putting them on their heels,” Johnson said.
The Oct. 7 match was a “Battle of the Valleys” against rival SVSU at the GVSU Fieldhouse Arena. The Lakers opened the set fast, taking an 8-2 lead before winning the set 25-16.
The second set began with a tug-of-war battle before the Lakers went on a run. With GVSU leading 10-8, Johnson called a timeout, looking to find the same momentum that the Lakers had in the first set. Coming out of the timeout, redshirt freshman Brianna Stawski had an explosive kill reenergizing the Lakers who went on a 15-7 run, ultimately winning the set 25-15.
The Lakers came out to a 13-8 lead to open the third set before SVSU battled back, tying the score at 13 apiece. The two teams rallied back and forth throughout the set until the score was tied at 23-23 all. Then, Lakers’ sophomore Meghan O’Sullivan had a massive kill, helping her squad to a 25-23 victory, a match win of 3-0.
Looking to extend their win streak to eight in a row, the Lakers came out strong against WSU. The set opened with back-and-forth rallies to be tied 4-4 before the Lakers went on a 15-4 run taking control of the set and winning it 25-12. From then on, it was all GVSU.
The Lakers came out strong with a 9-1 lead to open the second set, forcing a WSU timeout. A monster kill by opposite hitter and middle blocker Sarah Wight coming out of the timeout kept the Lakers on track- something that has been a theme for her team after a break. GVSU never let the Warriors back in the game and won the set 25-11.
Looking to avoid the sweep, WSU opened the set with a 6-2 lead before GVSU battled back, tying the game at 9-9. After regaining the momentum the Lakers took an 18-12 lead before a late surge from WSU brought the game closer. GVSU then closed out the set winning it 25-20, ending the game at 3-0 and 6-0 on the weekend.
Jordyn Gates led the Lakers with 15 kills, 16 assists, six digs and four total blocks. Wight also had eight kills and four blocks, with Stawski having seven kills and five blocks against WSU.
Wight was proud of the way that her team has played at home all season and said “Defending our home court has been an emphasis this season.”
The wins over the weekend extended the Lakers win streak to seven in a row and moved them to 14-1 on the season.
Johnson said it was the culture they have developed as a team and has made a difference for the Lakers so far this season.
“We have worked on the culture and the connectivity and relationships, which help us on the court as well,” Johnson said.
The Lakers look to continue their recent success when they head to Hammond, Ind. to participate in the Midwest Regional Crossover Tournament on Oct. 13 and 14.
