The No. 18 Grand Valley State University women’s volleyball team (10-3) battled through a long-weekend stretch that started at home Thursday against Wayne State University  (10-3). The Lakers ended the weekend Saturday by taking a quick trip south to face Purdue University Northwest (6-6).

GVSU ended up splitting the two Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) matchups. The Lakers dropped a dramatic five-set thriller against Wayne, but proceeded to win a decisive sweep over Purdue Northwest.

Wayne State outlasted the Lakers 3-2, handing GVSU its third loss of the season.

After dropping a close first set 25-23, GVSU responded with dominant wins in the next two sets, 25-17 and 25-15. The Lakers’ offense was fueled by controlling serving and strong net play from senior outside hitter Kendall Stover and junior middle hitter Kennedy Arp, who each tallied 10 kills. Senior setter Meghan O’Sullivan, who is coming off a GLIAC Offensive Player of the Week honor, followed closely with nine apiece.

The Warriors pushed back with a dominate win in the fourth set, 25-11. Despite a late push in the fifth set, the Lakers couldn’t overcome the Warriors’ late momentum, falling 15–11 in the final and deciding frame.

Head coach Jason Johnson’s squad didn’t dwell on it long, saying heading into Saturday’s game, the team did a “good job responding and fixing some of the details.” Fix the details they did, as the Lakers came out firing against Purdue Northwest, cruising to a straight-set win, 25–20, 26–24 and 25–15.

GVSU controlled the pace from the first serve, led by Stover, who scored her 1,000th career dig in this match. O’Sullivan and sophomore setter Caroline Baker commanded the offense, distributing sets across multiple hitters to keep Purdue Northwest off balance and struggling at the net.

The second set turned out to be a turning point, a tight 26–24 win that showcased the Lakers’ toughness. Redshirt junior Brianna Stawski, who is coming off a GLIAC Defensive Player of the Week honor, helped the team secure the lead with a clutch kill before rolling through the third set.

The Lakers’ front shut down Purdue Northwest’s hitters to seal the sweep, ending the game. Johnson emphasized the team’s mindset heading into the second game of the weekend.

“We played Thursday and then again on Saturday, so it was a quick turnaround,” Johnson said. “The big message was about starting fresh. We talked about not carrying one set into the next. The nice thing about this week is that we don’t play again until Friday, which gives us time to recover and clean up a few things.”

The Lakers look to build off that dominant victory, as they will host Roosevelt University (1-14) Friday at 6 p.m.