Oct. 12, 2012
Box Score
Aurora, Ill. - After a strong 3-1 victory over Missouri S&T earlier on Friday morning at the fifth annual GLVC-GLIAC Crossover Tournament, Grand Valley State put together an equally impressive win. The Lakers handed Bellarmine a 3-0 defeat (25-17, 25-16, 25-21) for the team's sixth consecutive win.
GVSU was terrific on both sides of the ball. Offensively, the Lakers - the #5 seed out of the GLIAC - hit .358 with 47 kills in only three sets. On the defensive side, Grand Valley State put together 11 blocks, including five rejections in eight points during the second set. With the win, the Lakers improve to 15-4 on the year and eclipse their win total from 2011, when the team was 14-13.
Bellarmine, the #6 seed from the GLVC, is now 10-5 on the season. Earlier on Friday, the Knights defeated Northwood, the GLIAC's top seed, in four sets and were searching for a second consecutive upset. However, the Lakers had little problem taking care of a Bellarmine team that defeated GVSU last season at the same Crossover Tournament. In fact, both teams that Grand Valley State defeated on Friday, the team lost to at the 2011 tournament.
The Laker middle hitters were terrific against BU, as senior Eno Umoh and junior Abby Ebels each reached double-digits in kills. Umoh, who totaled 15 kills, 0 errors, and a .682 hitting percentage against Missouri S&T in the opener, added 10 kills, only one error, and blocked seven Bellarmine attacks. At one point in the second set, Umoh recorded back-to-back-to-back solo blocks. Additionally, she hit .600 in the victory.
Ebels was equally as impressive against the Knights, providing 12 kills (also with just one error) and a .524 hitting percentage. Ebels added five digs and three blocks, including a solo rejection.
The first set was tied early at 5-5 before GVSU went on an 11-5 run to open up a comfortable 16-10 advantage. Bellarmine hung around at 18-12 before the Lakers notched five kills in six points, all from different players. Setter Clair Ruhenkamp started things off with a kill, followed by freshman Betsy Ronda. After a Bellarmine kill, Umoh, sophomore Abby Aiken, and Ebels all put down kills to build a 23-13 cushion. Moments later, he Lakers would close the set with a kill from Schroeder.
GVSU took a 2-0 advantage in the second set and built out to an 8-3 lead, with three Aiken kills paving the way. Later in the set with the Lakers on top 15-9 after a Ronda kill, Umoh rejected a Bellarmine attack from Krista Gibson. On the next point, Gibson again attacked and Umoh again came up with a solo block. On the very next point, it was BU's Paula Byrns who attacked for the Knights, but Umoh blocked a third consecutive shot (all solo blocks) giving the Lakers a huge momentum swing.
After Bellarmine scored a point on a GVSU error, Aiken and Ronda recorded consecutive kills to put the Lakers on top, 20-10. Ebels tabbed a solo block on the next point and combined with Ruhenkamp for another block on the ensuing point. Grand Valley State would use its .414 hitting percentage to finish off the 25-16 win.
The score was tied 12-12 in the third set before Umoh and Ebels tallied back-to-back kills. GVSU would not trail again in the set, keeping Bellarmine at least a point away the rest of the stanza. Finally, with a 24-21 advantage, Umoh put away one final kill to end the match and give the Lakers another good in-region victory.
Aiken (12 digs, nine kills) and Ronda (eight kills, five digs) continued to play well, while Ruhenkamp delivered 34 assists, six digs, three block assists, and a kill. Libero Christina Canepa notched a team-high 13 digs and Schroeder added seven kills and hit .333 for the match.
On Saturday, Grand Valley State will look to complete its third 3-0 effort at the Crossover Tournament, as the Lakers take on William Jewell at 2:00 p.m. ET. GVSU has never faced William Jewell before. In the 2008 and 2010 Crossover Tournaments, Grand Valley State went 3-0 both times - and then advanced to the NCAA Elite Eight each of those years.
