The 7-1 win bumped the undefeated Lakers (5-0) up to a second-place regional ranking while ending the Spartans’ (4-1) undefeated streak and dropping them to third overall.

“It was nice to get a decisive win at home in front of our crowds,” said GVSU captain Mark Trippiedi, a junior. “It was a great game for us. The last time we played was against Saginaw Valley, and we only won 2-1 then, so we were able to fix some of the problems we had against them for this game.”

The veteran Lakers came out strong in the first half, scoring three quick points before subbing in some newer players, who scored once more to close out the half. When the game resumed, the Lakers relaxed a bit, and despite another GVSU point early in the second half, the Spartans managed to slow down the play and steal a point.

The Lakers rallied in the final minutes, scoring the two final points of the 7-1 game.

“We did all the little things right,” said GVSU dodgeball treasurer Brian Savalle, a senior. “We were extremely accurate with our shots, and we played as a team. Communication was one thing that we did very well, particularly in the first half. We were missing some of our varsity guys, so we had some other players that had to step up, but I

think we ended up playing a really strong game.”

The Lakers play next on Jan. 15 at the Chicago Dodgeball Open Tournament hosted by DePaul University, and the team plans to take a much needed rest before then.

“We practice three days a week,” said GVSU dodgeball president Dylan Fettig, a junior. “We’ll keep a low profile over break since we are getting so many injuries. So we’ll just take it easy for a bit and see where we’re at after winter break.”

The Lakers all agree that they could stand to improve their communication skills on the court in preparation for the NCDA Nationals in April, which will be hosted by Saginaw Valley State University. With the success they have had so far this season, the team said small improvements can only benefit it in the long run.

“We have to keep on working on communication so we can minimize our errors on the court,” Savalle said. “When we’re playing against the top teams in the country later in Nationals, the little errors are the things that would kill us. If we can minimize errors, I think we’ll play successful dodge ball through the rest of the year.”

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