Sept. 17, 2010

Box Score

Midland, Mich. - Trailing two sets to one in a tough GLIAC match at Northwood on Friday night (Sept. 17), Grand Valley State managed to battle back and capture the fourth set before earning the victory with a 15-11 fifth set win. The Lakers won their first five-set match of the season and held on for a wild 3-2 victory (25-22, 10-25, 22-25, 25-23, 15-11).

With the win, GVSU improves to 4-4 on the year and is now 3-1 in the GLIAC, as the Lakers have won both conference matches so far this week, including the four-set victory over Ferris State on Wednesday night. Northwood falls to 3-4 overall with a 1-2 league mark. Grand Valley State has gone to five sets in two of its last three matches, falling to Northern Michigan on Sunday in a five-set heartbreaker.

Northwood jumped out in front of the Lakers in the opening set and led 11-7 before GVSU went on a 6-2 run to even the score at 13-13. With the score again tied at 17-17, Grand Valley State started to pull away by scoring three straight points on a kill from senior Leslie Curtis, a service ace from sophomore Olivia Kohler, and a Timberwolf attack error. The teams alternated points the rest of the set, as GVSU used two kills apiece from senior Rebeccah Rapin and freshman Stacey Catalano, plus the set's final point on a kill from senior Krysta Kornack, to take a 1-0 lead.

After battling back for a good opening set win, Grand Valley State could not have played much worse in the second set. The Lakers actually trailed by just four points at 12-8 before Northwood scored 10 consecutive points to blow the set wide open with a 22-8 advantage. During that stretch, the Timberwolves forced GVSU into eight attack errors. Grand Valley State hit -.286 in the set with only four kills to go with 14 attack errors, as NU knotted the match at 1-1 with a 25-10 win.

The Timberwolves kept the momentum going in the third set by opening up a 9-4 lead. GVSU closed the gap to two points at 12-10, but could get no closer than two points the rest of the set, as Northwood moved ahead 2-1 in the match with a 25-22 victory. Both teams hit the ball well in the third set, as the Lakers connected at a .262 clip (17 kills) and Northwood hit at a .326 pace with 16 kills.

Grand Valley State saved its two best offensive sets for the fourth and fifth frames. However, NU again got out to a fast start by leading 12-8 and holding on to a slim 18-16 advantage towards the end of the set. GVSU got back-to-back kills from Kohler and Curtis to tie the score and a combined block from Rapin and junior Nicole Whiddon to take a brief one-point lead at 19-18. The score was then tied at points 19, 20, 21, 22, and 23 before the Lakers forced Northwood into an attack error to take a 24-23 advantage. Oddly enough, the set then ended without an actual play, as the referees gave a red card to one of the Northwood coaches, which results in an automatic point for GVSU, making the score 25-23 and tying the match at 2-2. The Lakers hit .320 for the set with 12 kills in a set that saw 10 tie scores and four lead changes.

In the pivotal fifth set, Northwood led 3-1 before a Catalano kill tied the score at 3-3. Another kill from Catalano made the score 6-4 in GVSU's favor before the Timberwolves tied the score at 7-7 and took an 8-7 lead midway through the set. Curtis stepped up big time with two consecutive kills and combined with Whiddon for a block on the next point for a big 3-0 run that put the Lakers on top, 10-8. After Northwood tied the score at 10-10, Rapin totaled a kill and Curtis served up an ace for a 12-10 lead. The Timberwolves got within a point at 12-11 before Catalano recorded back-to-back kills (on assists from senior Meghan Scanlon) to up the lead to 14-11. A Northwood attack error ended the set at 15-11, giving GVSU a wild win.

Playing the best match of her short Laker career, Catalano totaled a personal-best 15 kills (five of which came in the fifth set) and just missed out on a double-double with nine digs. Adding 14 kills was Rapin, who also tallied three blocks (one solo) and three digs, while Kornack hit .364 with 10 kills, a pair of blocks and two digs.

Curtis added nine digs, eight kills, two blocks (one solo), an ace, and an assist. Scanlon dished out 27 assists with six digs and a service ace, while Kohler passed for 25 assists and added eight digs with two kills. Freshman Sacha Gill recorded a match-high 24 digs. Whiddon and sophomore Eno Umoh both had five kills and three block assists.

The team statistics were almost identical. Grand Valley State led in kills (59-56), assists (56-51) and digs (63-60), while Northwood had more blocks (9-8), aces (6-4), and a better hitting percentage (.233 to .159).

GVSU returns to the court on Saturday (Sept. 18) with a 2:00 p.m. match at Lake Superior State.