GVSU women’s tennis tops GLIAC rival Lake Superior State

Entering the contest with a 4-0 GLIAC record, the Grand Valley State women’s tennis team looked to remain undefeated against Lake Superior State at home Saturday, Oct. 7.

The Lakers won the match with ease, claiming a 8-1 victory to improve their overall record to 5-0 in the GLIAC. 

GVSU’s doubles swept the competition to open the match. Alexa Sweeney and Aimee Moccia won the No. 1 pairing for the Lakers with a 8-3 decision, while teammates Madison Ballard and Nicole Heiniger clinched the No. 2 spot with another 8-3 victory. Finishing the doubles for the Lakers was Abby Perkins and Livia Christman, who posted a 8-2 victory in the No. 3 doubles spot.

In the singles category, GVSU took five of the six available points from Lake Superior State. Besides the No. 1 spot, the Lakers captured the victories in the remaining rankings. Winners included No. 2 Sweeney (6-4, 6-1); No. 3 Moccia (6-1, 6-1); No. 4 Perkins (6-1, 6-0); and Olivia Hanover and Heiniger, who won straight sets in the No. 5 and No. 6 spots.

The Lakers will face three GLIAC matchups on the road against Tiffin University Friday, Oct. 13; Ashland University Saturday, Oct. 14; and Wayne State Sunday, Oct. 15.

GVSU volleyball drops both weekend games

It was a tough weekend for Grand Valley State volleyball (8-9, 6-3 GLIAC), as the team was swept by GLIAC opponents Ferris State (14-2, 8-0 GLIAC) Friday, Oct. 6, and Northwood University (10-7, 4-5 GLIAC) Saturday, Oct. 7.

In the game against the heavily favored Bulldogs, the Lakers struggled to gain ground in any statistical category, as Ferris was able to end the match in three sets (25-17, 25-20, 25-20). Sydney Doby tied teammate Jayci Suseland with a team-leading nine kills. Junior Staci Brower added six kills and three blocks.

The match against Northwood was a similar story, as the Timberwolves swept the Lakers in three sets (25-15, 29-27, 25-20). The Lakers struggled offensively, only managing a .060 hitting percentage. Brower led the Lakers with nine kills, while Doby tallied seven. 

The Lakers will hope to fix their mistakes by the annual Midwest Region Crossover against teams from the GLIAC, GMAC and GLVC Friday, Oct. 13, and Saturday, Oct. 14, in Aurora, Illinois.

GVSU cross country competes in Conference Crossover

Hosted by Lewis University, the Grand Valley State men’s and women’s cross country teams competed in the Conference Crossover meet in Romeoville, Illinois Saturday, Oct. 7.

The men’s team finished in first with 55 points in the 8K race, while the women placed in second with 66 points in the 5K race.

Wuoi Mach led the way for the men’s team once again, finishing second with a time of 24:48.2 for his third top-10 finish so far this season. Teammate Trevor Sharnas finished in eighth with a time of 25:09.4, while Abe Visser finished shortly behind in 11th place with a time of 25:13.2.

Kelly Haubert led the way for the women’s team, clinching sixth place with a time of 21:48.8, while Gina Patterson finished ninth with a time of 22:00.8. Another top finisher for the Lakers was Madison Goen, who finished 14th with a time if 22:11.6.

The Lakers will compete next at the GLIAC Championships Saturday, Oct. 21, in Harvey, Michigan. The Laker women have won 16 consecutive GLIAC Championships, while the men have won 15 straight.