Sept. 23, 2011

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Post Game Interview

Allendale, Mich. - After dropping the first two sets on Friday night (Sept. 23) in Allendale, #20 Grand Valley State stormed back to win the third and fourth stanzas and force a pivotal fifth set. The fifth and final set was tied at 13-13 before Wayne State notched the last two points of the match and win a five-set grudge match, 3-2 (25-14, 25-20, 14-25, 19-25, 15-13).

The five-setter was the third such match for GVSU already this season, with the Lakers falling to 1-2 in five-set matches. Grand Valley State is now 6-4 on the year and 3-3 in the GLIAC, while Wayne State improves to 5-4 this season and 4-1 in conference play. The Warriors were completely dominant in the first and second sets before GVSU rallied and became the aggressor in sets three and four, pushing Wayne State to a fifth set in which the Lakers actually led 4-0.

In the fifth frame, GVSU scored the first four points on a pair of Warrior attack errors, a kill from sophomore Lyndsey Holt, and a double block from sophomore Abby Ebels and senior Nicole Whiddon. Wayne State then rallied back to tie the score at 5-5 and actually take a 6-5 advantage. The Lakers jumped back into the lead at 10-8 on a few WSU attack errors and a pair of kills from sophomore Stacey Catalano. Another kill from Holt and a Warrior error made the score 12-9 in the Lakers' favor.

Wayne State again battled back and knotted the score at 12-12 before GVSU re-gained a 13-12 advantage after a Warrior error. But WSU finished off the set and match with three straight points, the final two coming off of double blocks from Kristen Bulkiewicz and Jen Finkbeiner.

The score was tied 7-7 in the first set before Wayne State put together a 13-3 run and opened up a big 20-10 lead. Hitting at a .379 clip with 16 kills, the Warriors closed the set with a 25-14 score, while GVSU connected at a .111 pace.

In the second set, Wayne State pushed out to a 9-3 lead before the Lakers rallied back to make the score 17-12 after a kill from junior Eno Umoh and a double block from Umoh and sophomore Megan Schroeder. GVSU was able to get within 24-20 after three consecutive kills from Holt, senior Courtney McCotter, and Umoh before the Warriors notched the final tally of the set, winning 25-20. Neither team hit well in the stanza, as Wayne State (.073) tallied 12 kills and GVSU (.026) put down eight kills.

A big 8-1 run by the Lakers early in the third set put Grand Valley State ahead 11-4 after back-to-back kills from Catalano and one from Umoh. The closest that Wayne State would get after that was 18-13 but the Lakers would record three straight double blocks, with all three involving Ebels. Holt combined with Ebels on the first block and Whiddon was with Ebels on the second and third rejections. Three more kills from Catalano and an ace from Holt produced the final score of 25-14.

Wayne State opened up the fourth set with a 7-3 lead, but consecutive kills from Schroeder and Ebels made the score 11-11. The set was tied at points 13, 14, and 15 before GVSU rattled off five consecutive points, which featured a kill from Umoh, a service ace from freshman Clair Ruhenkamp, and a kill from Catalano. At this point, the Lakers led 20-15. The teams would trade points the rest of the set until a Whiddon kill and a Wayne State error ended the set at 25-19. GVSU hit .316 with 15 kills and only three errors in the fourth tally.

For the match, Grand Valley State hit .117 with 49 kills, while Wayne State was held to an .099 percentage and 53 putaways. The Lakers led in blocks (10-8), but WSU totaled more assists (51-45), digs (87-77), and service aces (6-2).

A pair of GVSU players notched double-doubles. Catalano produced team-highs of 17 digs and 13 kills, while junior Olivia Kohler dished out a team-best 20 assists and picked up 13 digs. Holt provided 16 digs, seven kills, two blocks and an ace, while Umoh recorded 10 kills, hit .412 for the match, and added six digs and three blocks. Whiddon and Ebels each blocked five Warrior attacks.

The Lakers get back in action again on Saturday afternoon (Sept. 24), as GVSU welcomes Findlay to town for a 4:00 p.m. match against the Oilers.