Box Score

The #18 Grand Valley State volleyball team closed out a perfect 3-0 week on Saturday afternoon (Sept. 27), as the Lakers earned a sweep over Tiffin in Ohio. GVSU had little problem with the Dragons, winning in straight sets, 25-15, 25-18, and 25-16.

It was the seventh straight win for GVSU; five of those victories are 3-0 sweeps. The Lakers are now 9-2 on the year and a perfect 7-0 in conference play. Tiffin drops to 4-6 on the season and 2-5 in GLIAC action. 

Grand Valley State had a busy week. On Tuesday night, the Lakers topped #14 Ferris State by a 3-1 final, winning the final three sets in the GVSU Fieldhouse Arena. The Lakers then took all six sets against Ohio Dominican (Friday) and Tiffin (Saturday) for the nearly unblemished week of play.

16 different GVSU players saw action on Saturday, with 11 players competing in all three sets. Freshman Sydney Doby led the contingent of 11 players with a kill, as she provided match-bests of nine kills and seven blocks. Four of those rejections were solo blocks.

The Lakers dominated most of the statistical categories, as Grand Valley State hit .275 with 40 kills, while holding the Dragons to a .010 attack mark (25 kills, 24 errors). GVSU held a wide 10-3 lead in total blocks, as well.

Tiffin put up the first two points of the match before the Lakers notched a 12-3 lead to regain control. In that early stretch, Doby had two solo blocks and teamed with both Kaitlyn Wolters and Kourtney Wolters on separate combined blocks. She also served an ace, while junior Betsy Ronda put up back-to-back service aces during the run and three total in the first set. GVSU led 16-9 after kills from junior Kaleigh Lound and Kaitlyn Wolters and cruised from there.

In the second set, the score was tied 9-9 before Grand Valley State took over with an 11-2 run. Knotted at 9-9, the Lakers scored four straight points on a kill from senior Abby Aiken, a Doby block, an ace from senior Christina Canepa, and a Ronda kill. Ronda added two more kills during the stretch, as Doby and Kourtney Wolters each put down a kill. Senior Ally Simmons provided two late kills for the Lakers to close out the set. GVSU hit .324 in the second stanza, while Tiffin maintained a .000 hitting percentage for the second set in a row.

Similar to the second frame, the Lakers and Dragons were tied at 9-9. Just as in the second set, GVSU used a run to take over, this time doing so with an 8-2 spurt that would provide insurmountable for Tiffin. Simmons and Doby recorded kills to start the stretch, while Doby teamed with redshirt freshman Carley Serowoky for a combined block at the end of the run. Three straight kills from sophomore Audrey Oake, Doby, and junior Jessica Majerle ended the set and match.

Simmons (.556 percentage) totaled five kills in nine swings, while Majerle (.667) recorded four kills in six attempts; both players did not commit a hitting error. Ronda delivered six kills, six digs, and three of the team's six aces, while Aiken added five kills and five digs. Canepa picked up 10 digs. Kaitlyn Wolters totaled 15 assists and five kills in six attempts.

GVSU returns home to take on a pair of Ohio schools next weekend. The Lakers will face Lake Erie on Friday night (Oct. 3) and Ashland on Saturday afternoon (Oct. 4).