Oct. 12, 2013

Box Score

Ashland, Ohio - Despite falling in the first set at GLIAC co-leader Ashland on Saturday night (Oct. 12), #21 Grand Valley State roared back to win the final three sets and earn a tough 3-1 road victory. The Lakers captured a pair of two-point set wins, as GVSU knocked off the Eagles, 22-25, 26-24, 25-17, 27-25.

Both Grand Valley State and Ashland entered the match with identical 7-1 GLIAC records, two of the four league teams (Ferris State, Northern Michigan) with that conference tally. On Friday night, Ashland handed FSU its first GLIAC loss of the year, but in doing so the Eagles played a five-set match while GVSU cruised to a 3-0 win at Lake Erie.

With the victory over the Eagles, Grand Valley State is 14-3 overall and 8-1 in conference play. Ashland falls to 13-4 on the year and 7-2 in the GLIAC. The Lakers have won four straight matches and 12 of their last 13 contests. Perhaps more impressively, GVSU is 8-1 away from Allendale; 4-1 in road matches and 4-0 at neutral sites.

Junior Abby Aiken helped the Lakers own a strong 59-45 advantage edge in kills, as she delivered a match-best 21 kills. No other player in the contest had more than 11 putaways. GVSU also recorded more assists (53-43), aces (5-2), and digs (88-78), while Ashland had a 12-9 lead in blocks.

AU rolled out to a 10-3 advantage in the opening set before the Lakers pulled within 17-16 after an Eagle attack error. Consecutive kills from Aiken and sophomore Jessica Majerle kept GVSU in it at 23-22, but Ashland scored the final two points to take the first set win.

In set two, the Eagles again jumped out quickly, leading 9-4 and extending to a 15-9 cushion. Things were in Ashland's control at 23-17 before GVSU rolled back with six consecutive points, led by two kills and a block assist from junior Ally Simmons. Tied at 23-23, junior setter Kaitlyn Wolters picked up a kill to put the Lakers on a 7-0 run. AU scored the next point to tie the score at 24-24 before another Wolters kill. After an Eagle error, GVSU had tied the match at 1-1 with the 26-24 victory.

The Lakers took an early 7-2 lead in the third set after consecutive kills from senior Megan Schroeder. GVSU would never give up the lead, but Ashland came back within at 14-13 before four straight points from the Lakers. With an 18-14 lead, Simons and Aiken recorded kills and Ronda served up an ace to push to a 21-14 cushion. GVSU, hitting at a match-best .286 clip in the set, closed the frame a few points later and went up two sets to one.

To win the match, the Lakers had to endure a tough fourth set which saw 18 tie scores and eight lead changes. Ashland led 22-19, but Aiken tallied a kill, Simmons served up an ace, and a Wolters solo rejection tied the score at 22-22. Aiken added kills to knot the set at 23-23 and 25-25 before a Ronda kill put GVSU up, 26-25. Appropriately enough, Aiken closed it out with her 21st and final kill to give the Lakers a very solid road win.

15 of Aiken's 21 kills came in the third and fourth sets, as the outside hitter added 17 digs and a pair of service aces. Two Lakers - Ronda (11 digs, two aces, two blocks) and Simmons (three blocks)- each put away eight kills, with most coming from the sets of Wolters. The setter delivered 39 assists, 15 digs, and four total blocks. Wolters also was a force as an attacker, tallying seven kills and only one error in 13 attempts for a .462 attack mark.

Junior libero Christina Canepa tied for match-high honors with 23 digs and she also passed for seven assists. Freshman Nicayla Joyce was the fifth Laker in double-digits with 12 digs. Sophomore Kaleigh Lound added six kills, a .385 hitting percentage, and five blocks.

GVSU returns to Allendale for a pair of matches next weekend. The Lakers face Wayne State on Friday night at 7:00 p.m. and Findlay on Saturday afternoon at 4:00 p.m.