Grand Valley State University’s volleyball team swept Roosevelt University in three sets, adding a fifth game to their winning streak.
Heading into Saturday’s match against the Roosevelt Lakers, Grand Valley led in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) with an overall record of 12-1 and a conference record of 5-1. As a first-year member of the GLIAC, Roosevelt’s overall record is 1-12 with a conference record of 0-5.
Entering the match, GVSU’s dominant record and ranking were based on consistency. Facing teams such as Roosevelt test the Lakers’ motivation and grit from all levels of competition. Head coach Jason Johnson stressed the importance of consistency and how it motivates the team to prepare for tougher matches.
“The level of competition always is going to play into the energy that you’re bringing into the gym, but we try to push our players to be very consistent with the type of energy and preparation that they have heading into any match, regardless of who it is or what the perceived level of competition might be,” said Johnson.
Maintaining consistency relies on what athletes do on and off the court. Creating a routine and habits can set a foundation for success. Senior Julia Blaney stressed the importance of her pregame routine to keep her motivated and consistent.
“I go by myself and I do a prayer, a worship song and then I watch a motivational video,” Blaney said. “I visualize and then I meet with the team to have our dance party (before the game).”
Translating the individual and team routines into gameplay is exactly what the Lakers do best.
The Lakers started their first set against Roosevelt strongly with an early lead of 11-0. Disrupting GVSU’s lead with an attack error by junior Kendall Stover, Roosevelt was allowed to put their first point on the board. However, the Lakers persevered and continued to use their momentum to gain crucial points. They increased their lead up to 15-1 after a major kill from sophomore Kennedy Arp. The Lakers then cruised on to 20 points with 2 kills from sophomore Kate Goudreau and 2 service aces for junior Meghan O’Sullivan. From there, the team secured the opening set win, 25-8.
Starting the second set, Roosevelt stayed level with GVSU but never took the lead. At 12-7, the momentum changed for GVSU due to a major kill from Arp. The Lakers took advantage of Roosevelt’s attack errors and ran with the lead at 17-9. Ending the set on a 10-4 run, the Lakers secured the second set at 25-11.
In the final set, GVSU led 7-0 from Roosevelt’s attacking errors and a kill by Gourdreau. Roosevelt dug deep for momentum and trailed the Lakers 7-10. The Lakers gained a 4-point run and Roosevelt responded with a 5-point run, taking the set to 14-11. Redshirt sophomore Brianna Stawski provided two crucial points with massive kills that helped GVSU bring the score to 17-12. Roosevelt grew into the game and continued to put up points, but could never get closer than three points. GVSU closed out the third set with a perfect setup from O’Sullivan for Stover to put it away, ending the set 25-16.
GVSU’s game leaders offensively were Stawski, with nine kills on a .750 hitting percentage, Goudreau with six kills on a .857 hitting percentage and Arp with five kills on a .714 hitting percentage. The defensive leaders were O’Sullivan with five kills and 17 assists, Blaney with 14 digs and Caroline Baker with 12 assists.
Defeating Roosevelt in a 3-set sweep added to GVSU’s winning streak and hunger for more wins. Reflecting on the game, Stawski shared her training focus for the next match.
“I like to go early on a lot of attacking, so patience and keeping my hands up (is important),” Stawski said. “I’d say consistency in a lot of those areas (is my focus).”
For their next competition, the Lakers will travel to Kenosha, Wisconsin to face off against the Parkside Rangers on Friday, Oct. 11.
