Grand Valley State University junior Nicole Whiddon and her sister Liz – a Lake Erie College freshman – are close, and they got a little closer when they went head-to-head Friday night as they lined up on the volleyball court at the GVSU Fieldhouse Arena.

Unfortunately for Lake Erie, that was as close as the two teams would get as the Lakers downed their opponents in a three-set sweep – 25-12, 25-11, 25-9 – for the fifth consecutive match.

Led by Whiddon, who recorded 7 kills in as many attempts for a perfect 1.000 hitting percentage, the Lakers dismantled Lake Erie with a .392 hitting percentage, while holding their opponents to a -.122 hitting percentage that included 25 attack errors.

The victory moves the Lakers to 10-2 in the GLIAC and an 11-5 overall record. GVSU also downed Ashland University 3-0 on Thursday.

Head coach Deanne Scanlon credited her team’s training with its recent success and level of play as of late.

“We’re becoming more consistent and that was something we struggled with that last year,” said Scanlon. “What we’ve really been focusing on in practice is maybe we don’t have to swing really hard all the time. You’ve got to know what the situation is when you can take a good hard swing and when you can just get the ball over and live for another day. So we’re making less errors and our training is paying off.”

As newcomers to the conference experiencing the growing pains that come with adjusting to new competition, Lake Erie College presented a matchup in which Scanlon could give her starters a bit of rest, she said. One player Scanlon had no plan of resting much was Whiddon, who lined up across the net from her younger sister in what proved to be a lopsided match.

“Even though I pulled a ton of my starters, I wanted her to be out there,” Scanlon said. “It’s kind of a special thing, it doesn’t happen very often.”

Nicole said matching up with her younger sister was weird because they have rarely play together, let alone against each other. Nonetheless, she had no intention of letting Liz win. The competition did not stop the two from sharing a couple laughs at the net prior to a service.

“I wanted to beat her,” Nicole said. “I would have been really mad if we lost. My coaches told me if she blocked me, I’d never be able to live it down.”

As Liz recorded a -.143 hitting percentage, Nicole might have had the better overall game. Nonetheless, Nicole failed in an attempt to block her sister and watched as Liz recorded the family’s lone service ace on the night.

The sisters’ parents were present for the match, and the sisters agreed that they were very supportive of both daughters, for the most part.

“They didn’t know who to root for,” said Liz.

“Yeah, but Dad wore your shirt, so…” Nicole countered.

Despite coming away with a loss, Liz said she was glad to see and play against Nicole.

“It was fun,” Liz said. “It’s something you never get to do in your life.”

Nicole agreed, saying it was a great experience and she was happy to see her sister.

Scanlon said she would give the Lakers Saturday and Sunday off before next week’s GLIAC/GLVC Crossover Volleyball Tournament, which she said is “huge.”

“It’s kind of a much needed break – we’ve been on the road for three straight weeks, we’ve had a little bit of sickness,” Scanlon said. “It’s just that middle of the season where you just get tired. So I told the kids to go home, be with their families, get some good home-cooked meals, rest, relax, use their time wisely because we need to be really, really sharp next week.”

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