The No. 15 ranked Grand Valley State University women’s volleyball team took home two wins against the University of Wisconsin-Parkside and Purdue University Northwest.
On Friday, Oct. 11, the Lakers came out on top, 3-1, in their away match against the UWP Rangers with scores of 21-25, 25-14, 25-22 and 25-10. The next day, Saturday, Oct. 12, the Lakers traveled to Indiana to play against the Purdue University Northwest Lions. The Lakers secured the win against the Lions 3-1 with scores of 25-18, 25-21, 20-25 and 27-25.
In the beginning of the first set against UWP, the Lakers and Rangers were neck and neck until a kill by GVSU’s middle hitter Paige Sanders brought the score to 9-8. The Lakers continued to keep their lead for a couple of more plays with the Rangers trailing close behind. They fought hard to maintain control of the set, but the Rangers finally managed to catch up with a kill from Sam Fisch, tying the teams 15-15.
The Rangers followed this up with another kill from outside hitter Sierra Kilbourn, giving Parkside their first lead in the set. Following Kilbourn’s kill for Parkside, the teams went back and forth, battling for control as it neared set point.
With the Lakers and Rangers tied 21-21, the pressure was on. Parkside fought hard for the win and scored four consecutive points, securing them the victory of the opening set.
The Lakers came back strong in the second set and kept a considerable lead the entire time. The Lakers were triumphant, taking the second set with a 25-14 lead.
At the beginning of the third set, GVSU lost their momentum and consistently trailed behind the Rangers until an attack error from UWP tied the two at 10-10. The Lakers took advantage of this tie to gain some momentum and take the lead. They held this lead for the remainder of the set.
GVSU took an early lead in the final set and held tightly to it. With clear domination, the Lakers took the final set, securing them the win with a final score of 25-10.
GVSU volleyball head coach Jason Johnson noted that when it comes to being on the road, creating routines for players is especially important.
“The hardest thing to do for any student athlete is to perform and do their best each and every night,” said GVSU volleyball head coach Jason Johnson. “The challenges of being on the road only make that harder. We keep working on being consistent with our training, preparation and recovery between matches. This helps establish a routine they can work through each weekend.”
The following day, the Lakers competed in a match up against the Lions. The first set of the game was close, with both teams battling for control. Neither team was able to hold the lead for long. This changed after an attack error from the Lions’ Marina Gronkiewicz awarded the Lakers a point, bringing the score to 11-10. From that point onward, the Lakers held the lead, securing the victory for that set, 25-18.
In the second set, the Lakers fought with impressive grit. Both teams scored back-to-back points, constantly tying the score. Toward the end of the set, the Lakers took the lead 16-15, thanks to a service ace Sanders. After Sanders’ service ace, the Lions couldn’t catch back up and the set went to GVSU.
The Lions got off to an early lead of 9-5 in the third set. However, things began to heat up as the Lakers scored four consecutive points against the Lions, tying the score 9-9. The Lions fought to take the lead back by scoring three more points with a kill from Olivia Brooke and two attack errors from the Lakers. The Lakers dug deep and managed to tie the score again, 20-20. So close to match point, both teams fought hard, but the Lions delivered the finishing blow by scoring four more points to win the set 25-20.
In the opening of the final set, the Lakers dominated. From the very beginning, they took an early lead of 10-3. Despite the Lakers’ lead, the Lions didn’t give up and they continued to fight to close the gap. They managed to tie with the Lakers, 24-24. The Lions made their move and scored another point with a kill from Julia Ross, making the score 24-25.
The Lakers felt the pressure, but they didn’t fold. Stawski scored with a kill, tying the score once again at 25-25. With two more kills from junior Kendall Stover and Stawski, the Lakers took home the win.
After a successful weekend, the Lakers hope to continue their victories at the Midwest Region Crossover in Hammond, Indiana, starting Oct. 18.
