Sept. 15, 2009
Box Score
Big Rapids, Mich. -
In a back-and-forth match that was tied 40 times, featured 14 lead changes, and lasted just over two hours, Grand Valley State was victorious at West Michigan rival, Ferris State, on Tuesday night (Sept. 15). The Lakers left Big Rapids, Mich. with a 3-2 win (26-24, 22-25, 25-22, 22-25, 15-13) for their first five-set victory of the year.
GVSU bounced back from Saturday's home loss to Wayne State to improve to 6-5 overall, 2-1 in GLIAC play. Ferris State falls to 9-4 overall with a 2-1 league record. The win was also Grand Valley State's first road victory in 2009. Last season at FSU, the Lakers also took home a 3-2 victory, winning the final two sets to prevail in that match.
On Tuesday night, the teams alternated wins in all five sets with no set being decided by more than three points. The first set was the most back and forth, at least on the scoreboard, as the teams were tied 13 times and the lead changed hands seven times. With FSU nursing a 22-21 lead late in the set, junior Rebeccah Rapin notched consecutive kills to jump ahead, 23-22. Ferris State tied the score on the next point, but a pair of kills from senior Whitney Tremain and a Bulldog attack error gave GVSU the opening set victory at 26-24.
Both teams had their best offensive sets of the night in the second set. Ferris State connected at a .343 clip with 16 kills, while Grand Valley State hit .270 with 14 putaways. Late in the set, however, the score was tied at 20-20 before FSU notched five of the final seven points to knot the match at one set apiece.
The two teams mirrored each other again in the third set, as both teams played better defense and recorded their worst offensive outputs of the match. GVSU hit just .027 in the set with nine kills and eight errors, but held the Bulldogs totaled just a -.060 percentage with 10 kills and 13 errors. The set was again tied late at 19-19, but the Lakers scored four straight points to move ahead, 23-19. A Tremain kill would close the set a few points later at 25-22.
In the fourth set, Grand Valley State led 19-15 before Ferris State rallied to score the next seven points to jump ahead 22-19. GVSU cut the score to 22-21, but the Bulldogs would total the 25-22 victory moments later. FSU hit .238 in the set, propelling the Bulldogs to a 2-2 tie and the pivotal fifth set.
The Lakers jumped out early to a 4-0 lead in the fifth set and never relinquished the lead. Ferris State got as close as one point on eight different occasions, but a kill from Rapin ended the set and match at 15-13.
As a team, Grand Valley State hit .168 with 53 kills, while FSU hit .169 with 70 putaways. The Lakers totaled 76 digs, 7.5 total team blocks, and four service aces.
Tremain and Rapin both tallied double digits in kills. Tremain led the way with 14 kills and added 10 digs, while Rapin notched 13 kills and five total blocks. Senior Meredith Young supplied 15 digs, eight kills, and a pair of blocks.
Sophomore Nicole Whiddon totaled eight kills and two block assists. Junior Meghan Scanlon provided a double-double with 27 assists and a dozen digs, while junior Janelle Beaudry picked up a team-high 18 digs.
Grand Valley State continues its road trip this weekend (Sept. 18-19) in the Upper Peninsula. The Lakers face Northern Michigan on Friday night at 7:00 p.m. and Michigan Tech on Saturday at 4:00 p.m.
