It did not have the top conference record during the regular season — no GLIAC Conference Championship came its way this year, either. But for Grand Valley State University’s volleyball team, none of that mattered during the weekend.

GVSU defeated the University of Indianapolis in five sets (15-25, 26-24, 25-16, 23-25, 15-9) Sunday, capping a three-game run that resulted in the team capturing its second NCAA Midwest Regional crown in three years.

“I’m exhausted, but in a good way,” said GVSU head coach Deanne Scanlon. “It was an emotional weekend. All of the matches were tight and competitive.”

The Lakers were out-hit 195-181, out-assisted 59-51 and out-killed 62-54 against the Greyhounds, but in the end, all that mattered for the Lakers was the final score. Scanlon said as long as the Greyhounds made things difficult for the Lakers, it was important for the Lakers to return the favor.

“If there’s one thing about our team, it’s this: we may not win pretty, but you’re sure not going to win pretty, either,” Scanlon said. “It was a match of playing hard through adversity. A team that can do that without having to win any certain way will give itself a chance to win these big games.”

Three Lakers were named to the All-Tournament Team. Senior outside hitters Rebeccah Rapin and Krysta Kornack joined freshman libero Sacha Gill as nominees.

“I was pretty surprised to be named,” said Kornack, who finished Sunday’s game with 12 kills and five blocks. “I didn’t think that I played my best, but I was proud that I worked as hard as I did for my team. It was an honor.”

Gill battled through an illness the week prior but showed no signs of fatigue. She finished with a game-high 28 digs against Indianapolis.

“It’s great that Sacha was recognized,” Scanlon said. “Liberos sometimes get overlooked. She got on antibiotics and stayed out of practice for a few days last week, but I knew she would be ready to go by the weekend.”

Throughout the GLIAC and NCAA Regional tournaments, GVSU was the No. 2 seed behind Hillsdale College. After falling to the Chargers once during the season and again in the GLIAC championship match, the Lakers sought revenge, but Indianapolis knocked Hillsdale out in an earlier round.

“It’s always nice to have revenge, but I wanted to play Indy more,” said Rapin, who finished with game highs of 16 kills and nine blocks. “Our strengths offset their weaknesses more, but it didn’t matter as long as we won. We have come so far this season.”

The University of Tampa, a team that defeated GVSU 3-0 in September’s Tampa Classic, will face the Lakers next. At the Classic, GVSU lost to the University of Central Missouri and beat Concordia University – St. Paul, two other teams who are still alive in the NCAA tournament.

“We had a feeling that (the teams at the Classic) would all be here at the end, and they are,” Scanlon said. “We know now what it’s going to take to beat them. We’re a better team than we were back then, and our kids aren’t afraid to play anybody.”

With the holiday break at their doorstep, the Lakers have time to enjoy their title before preparing for Tampa. The team will not have to travel to Louisville, Ky. for the Elite Eight round of the NCAA tournament until Dec. 2.

“It hasn’t sunk in yet,” Scanlon said. “I have a lot of pride for this team, especially considering how this group has really worked hard to get us back to the championship level after last season. The team just continues to impress me.”

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