Sept. 16, 2008

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Allendale, Mich. - The #8 Grand Valley State Lakers made quick work of West Michigan rival Ferris State on Tuesday night in the GLIAC home opener for the Lakers. GVSU won its seventh consecutive match, 3-0 (25-19, 25-12, 25-23) and improves to 10-2 overall, 3-0 in league play. The Bulldogs fall to 7-5, 1-2 in the conference.

With the victory, the Lakers have now won 23 straight matches at GVSU Fieldhouse Arena, dating back to Oct. 7, 2006 when Hillsdale defeated Grand Valley State, 3-0. 16 of GVSU's 23 wins have come by 3-0 sweeps. It is the sixth 3-0 victory of the season for the Lakers.

The opening set was back-and-forth until Grand Valley State put together a mini-run of four straight points on the serving of senior Danielle Alexander to take a 15-10 lead. GVSU extended the advantage to 19-12 on a kill by senior Lauren Reber, assisted by fellow senior Jamie Ashmore. The Lakers would close out the set on an FSU attack error.

Neither team hit overly well in the first set, as Grand Valley State managed a .194 hitting percentage (12 kills, five errors) and the Bulldogs connected at a .097 clip (10 kills, seven errors).

Set two started out close, with GVSU leading 7-6. Five points on serves from sophomore Janelle Beaudry pushed the advantage to 12-6. Seven straight points (including four service aces) from junior Meredith Young extended the lead to 20-7 and put the set out of reach. Alexander closed the set with a service ace, the Lakers' fifth of the set.

Grand Valley State had its' best offensive output, with an 11-kill, two-error performance for a .310 hitting percentage. The Lakers' defense also was solid, forcing Ferris State into a -.061 attack clip, as the Bulldogs committed nine attack errors.

FSU raced out to a 3-0 lead in the third set before a service ace from Ashmore tied the match at 3-3. The teams traded points for a good portion of the set, as an ace from Reber and a kill from Alexander made the score 17-11. Ferris State rallied to within two points on a few occasions and trailed 24-23 before a service error ended the match in GVSU's favor.

For the match, Grand Valley State hit .189 as a team with 31 kills and 13 errors. The Lakers dug 37 balls and tallied 10 service aces and 14 block assists. Ferris State was forced into 25 attack errors, connecting at a .020 rate. The Bulldogs had just one service ace and eight service errors.

Alexander led the Lakers with eight kills and added four block assists and a pair of aces. Young totaled five of the team's 10 service aces and notched a match-high 13 digs. Junior transfer Whitney Tremain added four kills, a .364 hitting percentage, and a match-best six block assists. Ashmore paced the offense with 24 assists.

Head coach Deanne Scanlon is now 23-8 in her career against Ferris State.

GVSU returns to action on Friday evening (Sept. 19) at home against North Division rival Northern Michigan. The match begins at 7:00 p.m.