GVSU men’s and women’s tennis win weekend matches

The Grand Valley State men’s and women’s tennis teams won its weekend matchups. The men’s team beat Wayne State at home 6-3 while the women’s team handled Davenport 8-1.

In the first NCAA Division II regional tennis rankings, the men’s team nabbed the fourth spot in the Midwest Region. The No. 4 Lakers won their fifth GLIAC match of the spring by jumping out to an early lead in doubles play.

Zach Phillips and Alex van de Steenoven in the No. 1 pairing won their match 8-5 while the No. 2 pairing of Jack Heiniger and Sebastien Lescoulie won by a score of 9-7.

The Lakers took a 2-1 lead into singles and did not look back. Lescoulie won the No. 1 match 6-4, 6-3 before Jack Geissler took the No. 3 match 1-6, 7-6 (6), 12-10. Heiniger and Nicholas Urban won their matches to seal the victory.

The newly ranked women’s team at No. 6 in the Midwest Region dominated in its match against Davenport. The Lakers swept doubles play starting with Madison Ballard and Rachel Sumner out of the No. 1 paining. The duo won their match 8-4 before Alexa Sweeney and Aimee Moccia won the No. 2 match 8-6. Livia Christman and Abby Perkins finished off the sweep with a 9-8 (7-5) win in the No. 3 match.

The Lakers took the momentum into singles play, losing only one match. Sweeney won the No. 2 match 6-4, 6-4 while Moccia won 6-3, 6-1 in the No. 3 match. Christman and Sam Schrepferman won their matches to seal the victory.

GVSU Division I and III roller hockey compete in national tournament

The Grand Valley State Division I and III roller hockey teams competed in Fort Meyers, Florida in the 2017 National Collegiate Roller Hockey National Championships. The Division I team lost in the Elite Eight while the Division III team was bounced in the Final Four.

For the first time in program history, the Division I team advanced to the Elite Eight. The Lakers were eliminated by their rival Michigan State.

Both teams exchanged goals in the first two periods before the Spartans scored the only goal in the third period to advance to the Final Four. Cody Hagen and Kenny Wurth scored the two goals for the Lakers.

Like the Division I team, the Division III team advanced farther than it ever has in program history with a Final Four appearance. The Lakers beat Cortland 8-2 in the Elite Eight to reach the semifinals.

The Lakers dropped their next game to the eventual national champion Lindenwood in a 7-4 game. Lindenwood jumped out to a 4-1 lead after the first period, and the Lakers were unable to grab the lead. Tyler Glenfield scored two of the Lakers four goals in the game.

GVSU dance team competes in national tournament

The Grand Valley State dance team traveled to Daytona Beach, Florida to compete in the National Dance Alliance Apr. 7 and 8. The Lakers finished second place both in Division II Hip Hop and Jazz competitions.

The Lakers scored a 9.621 to head into the finals in second place. GVSU could not overcome the deficit in the finals to take home first place. The four-time national champions brought home second place in both hip hop and jazz categories.