Sep 6, 2013
Box Score
Allendale, Mich. - Grand Valley State kicked off the 2013 season in fine fashion, topping visiting Adelphi 3-0 (25-14, 25-16, 25-14) in the Riverfront Hotel Grand Rapids Classic on Friday afternoon (Sept. 6). For the match, the Lakers hit .304, which included a whopping .458 attack mark in the second set.
It was the first match of the season for both teams and GVSU certainly looked comfortable at home in the Fieldhouse Arena. Not only did the Lakers excel on the offensive side, but Grand Valley State held the Panthers to a .000 hitting percentage (23 kills, 23 errors). Additionally, the Laker defense nearly doubled AU in digs (52-27) and did so in total blocks (7-3).
In the opening set, GVSU rolled out to a 13-2 advantage thanks to strong serving from freshman Nicayla Joyce. From there, the Laker defense continued to control the match, forcing Adelphi into 11 attack errors in the first frame. Grand Valley State eventually finished the set with a 25-14 victory.
Set two was more of the same, as junior setter Clair Ruhenkamp served the Lakers out to a 6-0 lead. Adelphi began to chip away at the lead and made the score 12-10 before three consecutive GVSU kills from junior Ally Simmons, sophomore Betsy Ronda, and junior Abby Aiken put the team out to a 16-10 cushion. Ronda finished off the Panthers with two aces in the final three points to put GVSU on top 2-0 in the match. In set two, the Lakers recorded 15 kills and only four errors for a .458 percentage.
Another fast start in the third set put Grand Valley State ahead by a 6-1 count after two kills from redshirt freshman Josie Werner and a kill from Simmons. Back-to-back kills from Ronda and Aiken extended the lead to 13-3 and AU never got closer than eight points the rest of the set.
Five Lakers tallied five or more kills, led by Werner's career-high seven kills. She hit .583 without an error, while tallying a match-best three blocks (two solo) in her collegiate debut. Aiken tallied 11 digs and a match-high nine kills, while hitting .389. Sophomore Kaleigh Lound also recorded seven kills and a pair of blocks, while Simmons provided six kills, three digs, and two block assists.
Junior libero Christina Canepa led all players with 12 kills, while Ruhenkamp dished out 27 assists and picked up 11 digs for a double-double.
GVSU is back in action again on Friday night, when the Lakers face Saint Leo at 7:30 p.m.
