It was a perfect weekend for the Grand Valley State University volleyball team in Ohio as the Lakers defeated Ohio Dominican University on Friday and Tiffin University on Saturday, both in straight sets.

“We knew if we didn’t beat these teams this weekend, there was no hope for postseason,” said junior middle blocker Eno Umoh. “It was do-or-die at this point. We had to give it our all so that we can get a good spot in the conference tournament.”

On Saturday morning the team bus broke down on its way from Columbus, Ohio, to Tiffin, Ohio, causing the Lakers’ match at Tiffin to be delayed an hour. It did not matter in the end, as GVSU took down the Dragons 25-15, 25-21, 25-16.

Sophomore outside hitter Megan Schroeder delivered three kills in the match’s first six points, giving the Lakers an early lead. Consecutive kills from Umoh and three points from Tiffin attack errors saw the Lakers finish off the first set with five straight points.

The opening set saw GVSU finish with a .448 hitting percentage. In the second set, however, the Laker offense struggled to a .087 hitting percentage. The defense got the job done, though, holding Tiffin to just a .048 clip.

The Lakers out-performed Tiffin across the board with better hitting percentages, assists, aces and blocks.

“Coming away with two wins on the road was big for us,” said GVSU head coach Deanne Scanlon. “I thought we played really well and had a pretty good offensive showing. We will qualify for the conference tournament, but we have to work for as high a seed as we can.”

Sophomore outside hitter Abby Aiken provided a match-best 11 kills, while sophomore middle blocker Abby Ebels put down nine kills and no errors, coming away with a .562 hitting percentage. Umoh added five kills, three blocks, three digs and a pair of aces while freshman setter Clair Ruhenkamp handed out 32 assists.

Earlier in the week after a disappointing Wednesday loss to Saginaw Valley State University, the Lakers rebounded on Friday against Ohio Dominican, winning 25-20, 26-24, 25-16.

Following a first-set victory, the competitive second set saw the Lakers jump out to a 7-1 lead. GVSU kept rolling along to a 17-10 lead, and eventually made it a 21-14 lead before the Panthers went on a six-point run, eventually cutting the deficit to 21-20. Consecutive kills from Umoh made it a 23-20 game, but two kills and a Laker attack error put it up at 24. A kill from Holt and a Panther attack error ended any chance of a Ohio Dominican comeback, giving the Lakers the 26-24 victory.

In the match, Umoh led the charge for the Lakers, collecting nine kills and eight total blocks. Ebels continued her hot streak, hitting at a .500 percentage that included seven kills in 12 attempts along with one block assist. Sophomore libero Sacha Gill led the team with 16 digs.

With both of the weekend victories, GVSU improves to 13-11 overall and 10-7 in conference play. The Lakers have won four of their last five matches overall and continue to look to improve their postseason aspirations.

“We have had a lot of ups and downs but we have pulled together as a team,” Ebels said. “That is what it is going to take. We need to take all that and tie it together with some effort and determination to win the next couple games and put us in the postseason.”

GVSU heads to the road once again to face Lake Superior State University on Friday and will finish out their regular season at Northwood University Sunday.

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