Dec. 7, 2013

Box Score

Allendale, Mich. - #13 Grand Valley State dropped a five-set classic to #23 Ferris State on Saturday night (Dec. 7) in the NCAA Midwest Region Tournament championship match. GVSU won the first two sets before Ferris State came back to win the final three sets in dramatic fashion (13-25, 22-25, 25-15, 28-26, 15-13) and advance to the NCAA Elite Eight next week.

The Lakers, the top seed and the host of the tournament, entered the match with a 31-3 record and a 21-match winning streak. GVSU's last loss came at the hands of Ferris State on Oct. 1 in Big Rapids. Like Saturday night, that Oct. 1 score was a 3-2 final in FSU's favor.

Grand Valley State, the GLIAC regular season and tournament champions, sees its season end with a 31-4 overall record. Ferris State, the second seed in the region, improves to 25-8 on the year and will compete in the national tournament in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

It was a terrific back-and-forth contest, with the score being tied 37 different times (including 13 ties in set two and a whopping 19 tie scores in the fourth frame) and the lead changed hands 15 times. GVSU held a slim 58-56 advantage in kills, while Ferris State held leads in hitting percentage (.129 to .113), aces (5-3), digs (113-109), and total blocks (15-12).

Grand Valley State and FSU were the two top teams in the region for the entire season, so it was appropriate that the West Michigan rivals would play a five-set battle for the regional title. In fact, heading into the fifth set, both teams had exactly 50 kills and 27 errors.

The Lakers were in complete control in the first set, racing out to an 8-2 cushion, which featured a pair of kills from senior Megan Schroeder and kills from sophomore Kaleigh Lound and junior libero Christina Canepa. Ferris State would close the gap to 13-9 before GVSU rattled off six consecutive points, including two more kills from Schroeder and a kill and a solo block from junior Ally Simmons. The Lakers, who hit .286 in the opening set and held FSU to a -.091 attack mark, finished off the set with a 25-13 victory.

Set two was extremely close throughout with neither team leading by more than three points until GVSU went on a late run. The score was tied at 18-18 before an FSU error, a kill and a solo rejection from Lound, and another Bulldog error. Grand Valley State was up 22-18 at that point and although FSU pulled to within 24-22, the Bulldogs served up a set-ending error.

Ferris State controlled the third set by jumping to a 6-2 lead and extending that advantage to 14-8. It was still close at 15-10 before the Bulldogs rattled off five straight points to push out to a 20-10 cushion. FSU hit .268 with 15 kills in the third set and eventually took the frame by a 25-15 score.

Neither team led by more than four points in a very tight fourth set that was tied 19 different times, including every point from 20 to 26. GVSU trailed 21-19 before consecutive kills by Schroeder and Simmons and then a combined block by Schroeder and Simmons to put the Lakers ahead, 22-21. Ferris State answered and took a 24-23 lead, serving for set point, before GVSU bounced back with a 25-24 advantage on a kill from junior Abby Aiken. FSU was again serving for set point at 26-25, but Aiken came up clutch with another kill. It was 26-26, but the Bulldogs put together a kill and an ace to force the pivotal fifth set.

Grand Valley State scored five straight points to turn a 6-4 deficit into a 9-6 advantage. Sophomore Betsy Ronda notched a kill and a service ace during the 5-0 run. The Laker lead grew to 11-7 after a kill from junior setter Kaitlyn Wolters and a Ferris State error. From there, FSU took control behind the serving of Danielle Dowd. She served four straight points during Ferris State's 6-0 run, putting the Bulldogs back on top, 13-11.

Lound put down a kill to make the score 13-12 and give GVSU the serve, but Ferris State scored again on a kill. Again, Lound answered with another kill to make the score 14-13, but FSU's Angi Kent finished the set and match with a final kill to end the contest.

In her final match in a Laker uniform, Schroeder tied for match-high honors with 14 kills and a .353 hitting percentage. Ronda tallied a double-double of 15 digs and 12 kills, while Aiken also notched a double-double with 18 digs and 11 kills. Lound provided 10 kills and a match-high tying seven blocks (three solo).

Canepa was outstanding in the back row, picking up a career-high 39 digs. That is the most digs by a GVSU player since at least the 1999 season, as former Laker great Allyson Riley recorded 39 digs against Northern Michigan on Sept. 15, 2007. Wolters handed out 46 assists and added 18 digs, four blocks, and three kills.

Schroeder, Wolters, and Lound were all named to the Midwest Region All-Tournament Team at the conclusion of the match.

After starting the season with a 2-2 record, GVSU won 29 of its next 31 matches to finish 31-4. The 31 wins are tied for the seventh-most in a season in school history, while Grand Valley State's 21-match win streak was one shy of tying the program record 22-match winning streak set in both 2001 and 2008.