It’s been quite a career for Grand Valley State volleyball middle blocker Sydney Doby. The senior has started every one of GVSU’s matches so far this season, and she has accepted her leadership role in fashion.

Doby has been a source of consistent production this season for the Lakers, as she is currently averaging 3.16 points per set and 2.46 kills per set in the 22 games she has played for GVSU. She has racked up double-digit points 15 times this season and averaged 9.8 kills per game in her last five games.

Doby has always had a love for the game. 

“I love how fast-paced volleyball is,” she said. “There’s never a moment that you aren’t going full drive. I love how competitive the sport is because every point matters.”

Doby is proud of the progress she’s made in her lengthy career.

“I have progressed both mentally and physically as a volleyball player,” she said. “It’s important that I have improved in my ability to get kills and blocks. What’s most important is my time with my teammates and how (this sport) has pushed me mentally.”

Off the court, Doby has aimed to become the perfect embodiment of a student athlete, as she’s been named to GLIAC All-Academic Excellence for the past two seasons now.

Doby has formed a lot of good memories during her four-year tenure, but her favorite memory of her career was the trip she took to Italy this past summer with her teammates.

“There wasn’t a girl on the trip that I didn’t love, and I wanted to explore the country with all them,” Doby said. “There was a lot of team camaraderie, and having that made for a really enjoyable trip.”

The senior has accomplished a lot in her career as a Laker, racking up 385 kills in her career and connecting on more than 25 percent of her attacks. Doby is very proud of her accomplishments in her time here in Allendale.

“I’ve always worked hard in practice and in games, and when it’s done, I don’t think I’m going to regret anything I’ve done here,” Doby said. “There wasn’t a moment where I was not willing to compete.”

As a senior, Doby has a done solid job of being a leader on this year’s team, encouraging her teammates every chance she gets.

“It’s important to lift one another up because you never know what someone is going through, whether they are a star or a bench player,” Doby said. “If I can make your day a little better, it honestly doesn’t matter how my day is going. I have picked up that process of meaning in my life here at GV.”

The Lakers have been playing well lately in Doby’s final season—they are currently riding the wave of a three-game winning streak—and Doby wants to make her last season for this volleyball squad count.

“I really want to able to give as much effort as I can into this program while I’m still here,” Doby said. “Whether that involves me getting a kill on the court or encouraging my teammates off the court, I just want to give it my all this season.”

Once the final point has been scored this volleyball season, Doby is hoping she will have made relationships with her teammates that will last a lifetime.

“When I’m done playing volleyball, I hope I’m still able to continue the friendships I’ve made off the court because I’ve really been getting close to my teammates in my time here,” Doby said.

No matter how this season ends for the Lakers, the senior leader is just looking to have fun and give it all she’s got with her teammates on this final ride.

“I want to be able to say that we gave it our all when it’s all over,” Doby said. “No matter how far we go, as long as I know that we competed, that’s all that is going to matter in my mind.”

GVSU volleyball hopes to continue their winning streak with October coming to a close. The Lakers travel to Ohio this weekend for matchups with Tiffin University and Ashland University. They play Tiffin at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 27, and Ashland at 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 28.