Box Score Grand Valley State finished off its four-match play at the Oredigger Classic in Golden, Colo. on Saturday (Sept. 6), as the #14 Lakers dropped a 3-1 final to Augustana. The Lakers lost a tight first set and won the second stanza before the Vikings rattled off wins in the final two sets (24-26, 25-17, 19-25, 21-25).GVSU posted consecutive 1-1 days to start the 2014 campaign with a 2-2 overall record. Last season, the Lakers also began the 2013 year with a 2-2 record before finishing 31-4 overall and capturing GLIAC regular season and tournament championships. Augustana improved to 2-1 with the win.
Just as GVSU did in its opening sweep on Saturday of Dominican, the Lakers put together a big run in the first frame. Trailing 11-7, the team scored seven consecutive points on the strong serving of senior
Kaitlyn Wolters, who recorded three aces in a four-point stretch. The Vikings, however, battled back from the 14-11 deficit to take a 16-15 lead.
From there, the score was tied at points 16, 18, 19, 20, 22, 23, and 24. Augustana notched the final two points to take the first set. The Vikings hit well (.238, 14 kills, four errors) in the opening frame, while GVSU struggled (.000, 12 kills, 12 errors) down the stretch. Wolters served up three of the Lakers' five aces.
Grand Valley State took an early lead in the second stanza and held at least a four-point cushion for nearly the rest of the set. With a 15-12 lead, juniors
Kaleigh Lound and
Betsy Ronda teamed up for a block, then Lound put down a kill to build a 17-12 advantage.
Senior
Abby Aiken added back-to-back kills a few points later, helping GVSU even the match at one set apiece. The Lakers hit .250 in the frame and forced Augustana into eight attack errors and an .067 clip.
The Vikings jumped out to a 9-2 lead early in the third frame and never looked back. Grand Valley State pulled within four at 22-18 on a kill from freshman
Sydney Doby, but Augustana scored three of the next four points to finish the set.
GVSU found itself down 10-6 in the fourth frame, before back-to-back-to-back kills from Aiken brought the Lakers within a point. The score was tied at 16, 17, 18, and 19 before Augustana closed things out with a 6-2 run to finish the match.
Aiken posted a match-high 19 kills to go with 19 digs. Ronda picked up a career-high 33 digs and added nine kills and three block assists. Senior libero
Christina Canepa notched 29 digs and five assists for GVSU, which owned a 119-108 edge in digs.
Wolters handed out 47 assists, while totaling 20 digs, five kills, and four aces. She was also named to the eight-member Oredigger Classic All-Tournament Team. The Lakers owned edges in kills (57-53), assists (55-48), and aces (8-1). Augustana had a 9-5 advantage in blocks and committed just 18 hitting errors to GVSU's 33 miscues.
The Lakers return home and will open up GLIAC play next weekend. GVSU faces Wayne State and Saginaw Valley State next Friday and Saturday (Sept. 12-13), with both matches coming on the road.
