Friday night at Northwood (6-14, 3-10 GLIAC) - 7:00 p.m.: Live Stats

Saturday afternoon at Lake Superior State (2-19, 1-12 GLIAC) - 3:00 p.m.: Live Stats

After a tough stretch of three matches in five days, #14 Grand Valley State was able to get a couple of days of rest before it heads back on the road this weekend for its final regular season road contests of 2014. GVSU will finish off this difficult string of five matches in nine days against Northwood and Lake Superior State on Friday and Saturday.
 
The Lakers moved their GLIAC record to 13-0 with a pair of 3-0 sweeps last weekend at home against Northern Michigan and Michigan Tech before a huge showdown at #22 Ferris State on Tuesday night (Oct. 28). It was a classic rivalry contest between the two schools, with the Bulldogs escaping with a five-set win, including a 17-15 score in the fifth and final set.
 
That result keeps Grand Valley State and Ferris State tied in conference play with matching 13-1 league records. Both teams have two-match leads over Findlay and Northern Michigan, which are tied for third place with 11-3 marks. Overall, GVSU is 17-4 on the season.
 
In this week's NCAA Midwest Regional rankings - the first such standings released this season - Grand Valley State was ranked second, behind only top-seeded Truman State. Ferris State was fourth, while Findlay was slotted 10th. Teams from the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) took up the remaining seven spots. Those rankings did not include Tuesday night's contest between the Lakers and Bulldogs.
 
GVSU's opponent on Friday night, Northwood, is 6-14 overall this season and just 3-10 in GLIAC play after advancing to the NCAA Tournament last year. After starting the season with a 3-1 record, the Timberwolves have suffered through a pair of four-match losing streaks, as well as a current five-match drought. In the last five losses, NU has managed to win just one set. The Timberwolves are 3-4 on their home court, but have won three of their last five contests in Midland.
 
Lake Superior State - who GVSU faces on Saturday afternoon in Sault Ste. Marie - is 2-19 on the year and 1-12 in league action. LSSU defeated Finlandia in the season opener, but has won just once since that contest. A home victory over Lake Erie on Sept. 27 separates a 10-match losing streak and the team's current nine-match losing streak. LSSU is 1-5 on its home floor this year.
 
Grand Valley State had won 12 consecutive matches on the road before the five-set loss to Ferris State on Tuesday. The Lakers - 6-1 on the road this year - have four 3-0 wins and a pair of 3-2 victories this season.
 
Senior libero Christina Canepa is sixth in the GLIAC with 4.77 digs per set, while her 353 total digs is seventh-most in the league. She picked up 31 digs against Ferris State on Tuesday. Canepa needs just six digs this weekend to move into second-place at Grand Valley State in career digs, as she currently owns 1,551 digs in her four-year career.
 
Classmate and Laker setter Kaitlyn Wolters ranks sixth in the conference with 708 assists and seventh with 9.44 assists per set. Her 30 service aces are the sixth-most of any player in the league, while her 0.40 aces per set is fourth-best.
 
Junior Betsy Ronda is fourth in the GLIAC with 3.7 points per set, sixth in kills (225) and total points (274), while ranking seventh in kills per set (3.04). She also has served 26 aces, the 10th most in the league.
 
After this weekend's matches, the Lakers will be at home to close out the regular season next weekend (Nov. 7-8). GVSU faces Saginaw Valley State and Wayne State inside the Fieldhouse Arena on Friday (7:00 p.m.) and Saturday (2:00 p.m.).