The No. 12 ranked Grand Valley State University women’s volleyball team began their road trip by defeating Davenport 3-1 on Friday, Nov. 1, but fell to No. 2 ranked Ferris State 0-3 on Saturday, Nov. 2.
The Lakers began the weekend facing off against Davenport, in which GVSU has historically had twelve wins, seven losses and a current win streak of six matches. Heading into Friday’s match against the Panthers, GVSU sat at 21-1 overall and 10-1 in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC), as a result of a 12 game win streak.
The first set began with the Panthers taking an early lead, but the Lakers weren’t too far behind. Each team traded points, running up the score, and the Panthers continued to lead until sophomore Kate Goudreau landed a kill, which was set up by junior Meghan O’Sullivan. This made the score 11-10. Building off the momentum, the Lakers continued their lead 16-14, but faced a major roadblock as the Panthers went on a hot streak, stealing set one.
Set two ignited the grit of the Lakers, as they climbed up in points and led 7-2. In that run, senior Jordyn Gates put away two back-to-back kills, contributing major points and maintaining the team’s energy. The two teams remained relatively close, but GVSU never lost the lead. At 15-12, the Lakers went on a game-winning run.
Entering the third set tied, the Lakers took advantage of their energy from the previous set to lead 11-3 with seven kills and three big blocks. The Lakers stormed ahead, taking advantage of Davenport’s attacking and service errors. Shutting down the Panthers in set three, 25-12, granted the Lakers the match lead at 2-1.
The Lakers carried their momentum into set four with two early kills from Goudreau at 3-0. GVSU continued to put up points, but the Panthers wouldn’t let up. The Panthers took advantage of GVSU’s attacking, service and communication errors, and brought the score to 10-8. However, the Lakers bounced back and answered with a run, highlighting kills from Goudreau, junior Kendall Stover and sophomore Paige Sanders. With a 10 point lead, the Lakers closed the set at 25-15.
GVSU’s game leaders were Gates and O’Sullivan, with 11 kills each. Close behind was Sanders with nine kills, and Stover and Goudreau with eight kills. Senior Julia Blaney dominated the backline with 25 digs.
With a major win against Davenport and facing the No. 2 ranked Ferris State less than 24 hours after, the Lakers had a short recovery period.
“You always have to worry about rest and recovery when you have to travel with back-to-back games,” said Johnson. “This particular weekend, it was also managing being home in between (matches), and the distractions that come with that.”
Recovery and down time was not in favor for the Lakers when they continued their road trip to Big Rapids, Michigan. The Bulldogs and the Lakers are familiar with one another, as they have played a total of 52 matches historically. Going into the weekend, the Lakers had only won 23 of those 52, and had a three game losing streak against the Bulldogs. This match, the Lakers saw their 13-game winning streak conclude, and an added fourth game to their losing streak against the Bulldogs.
The first set was neck and neck, as each team traded the lead and points. At 13-12, Ferris went on a three-point run, which closed the gap against the Lakers. Stover kept GVSU alive with back-to-back kills, bringing the score 16-19 Bulldogs. However, Ferris capitalized on GVSU’s attacking, service and communication errors, and ended the set 25-19.
In the second set, the Lakers were determined to compete with the Bulldogs. Each team remained consistent and bounced points back and forth. Redshirt sophomore Brianna Stawski landed a major kill for the Lakers, tying up the set 12-12. The Bulldogs responded with a seven point lead. Never giving up, the Lakers held their own and pushed the score to 19-21. Despite their persistence, the Lakers fell short and the Bulldogs took set two 25-22.
In an all or nothing situation, the Lakers started set three with the first three points on the board. The Bulldogs went on an 11-2 run, closing the gap for the Lakers. On a hot streak, the Bulldogs determined the fate of the set with another run, putting the score at 21-10. The Lakers went on a four-point streak with kills by Stover and Gates, making it 14-21. However, the Lakers’ run wasn’t enough and the Bulldogs pulled the set and match win, 25-15.
“The biggest difference between last night (Davenport) and today (Ferris) was the ability to compete,” said Gates. “We knew walking into Davenport (that) we were going to get their best, so having to match that level was tough. But then having to find that level again against the (number two) team in the nation, we struggled to get (the) intensity to where we needed it in order to play with them.”
GVSU’s volleyball team faced some struggles on the road, but will return next weekend to face Saginaw Valley State University on Friday, Nov. 8 at home.
