For college students, coming home for the first time in a semester can be a little scary. For the college athlete, playing at home for the first time is no different.

Grand Valley State University’s volleyball squad opened GLIAC play during the weekend with its first two home games of the season. The Lakers defeated Michigan Technological University in three straight sets Saturday before dropping Sunday’s matchup with undefeated Northern Michigan University, 3-2. They shook off any lingering jetlag from a recent tournament in Tampa, Fla.

“You could tell we had some jitters out there,” said senior outside hitter Rebecca Rapin of the game against Michigan Tech. “It was the first home game playing in front of a lot of people, and we had some new girls out on the court. We definitely took the game into our own hands. We made a lot of unforced errors that we shouldn’t have.”

Though the Lakers defeated the Huskies 25-19, 25-16 and 25-12, the team struggled at times to get the ball over the net.

“I think we got a little stronger as we went on,” said GVSU head coach Deanne Scanlon. “We had a little bit of jitters to start with. I liked our energy level and our intensity, but we made a lot of errors early on. Once we settled in and got rid of those (jitters), we handled them pretty well.”

The Lakers committed 18 errors while making 46 kills and 18 blocks Saturday. On Sunday, the team had a 2-1 set lead on Northern before the Wildcats rallied to take the fourth and fifth sets and the victory.

Senior Leslie Curtis, a first-year starter, was one player whose performance improved as Saturday’s game progressed.

“I really appreciate it when my teammates talk to me and tell me what’s happening on the court,” Curtis said. “As a team, we did a lot better job communicating as the game went on and that really helped us to execute. We were able to calm each other down by communicating and trying to make sure everybody felt comfortable on the court.”

While the Lakers’ defense grew stronger, Michigan Tech struggled to put the ball in play, looking sluggish in the third set.

“I think (their struggles were) more of a mental thing in some cases, not so much physical,” Scanlon said. “They were struggling to put the ball down on us to get a kill. That can wear on you and make you think, ‘What do I have to do to get it past their block or put it down?’”

Aiding GVSU’s stout blocking strategy was a considerable height advantage. The Lakers feature eight strikers at least six feet tall, while Michigan Tech only had one above that height.

“That’s our recruiting philosophy,” Scanlon said. “We want to be big at the net, we want to try to slow down the other team’s offense with our block and force them into tipping and rolling a lot, which makes it easier for us to transition from there.”

The Lakers next play at home Wednesday against Ferris State University in a 7 p.m. showdown. [email protected]