Midwest Region Crossover Tournament Homepage

This weekend, the #23 Grand Valley State volleyball team will travel to the eighth annual Midwest Region Crossover Tournament in Aurora, Ill. and face three teams from the Great Lakes Valley Conference). On Friday and Saturday (Oct. 16-17), the Lakers will look to continue their recent string of success at the Crossover Tournament, the largest collegiate volleyball tournament in the country.
 
The first seven years of the Crossover Tournament was termed the GLIAC-GLVC Crossover Tournament, pitting teams from the two conferences against each other. For the first time this season, there are four teams being added to the mix from the GMAC (Great Midwest Athletic Conference), slightly altering the tournament name. There will be 54 matches played on nine courts over the two-day period.
 
On Friday, GVSU will face #19 Lewis at 12:30 p.m. ET, followed by a 6:30 p.m. ET match against Indianapolis. The Lakers will conclude the weekend against Missouri S&T on Saturday at 2:00 p.m. ET.
 
In seven previous trips to the Crossover Tournament, Grand Valley State has posted a strong 15-6 record. Four times - 2008, 2010, 2012, and 2013 - the Lakers have recorded a 3-0 record against their GLVC opponents. Here is a look at the year-by-year history of GVSU at the Crossover Tournament:
 
2008 (3-0): W, 3-1 - Indianapolis / W, 3-1 - Northern Kentucky / W, 3-0 - Bellarmine
 
2009 (1-2): L, 3-1 - Rockhurst / L, 3-2 - Lewis / W, 3-0 - Missouri-St. Louis
 
2010 (3-0): W, 3-0 - Missouri S&T / W, 3-0 - Northern Kentucky / W, 3-2 - Lewis
 
2011 (0-3): L, 3-1 - Missouri S&T / L, 3-1 - Bellarmine / L, 3-2 - Lewis
 
2012 (3-0): W, 3-1 - Missouri S&T / W, 3-0 - Bellarmine / W, 3-0 - William Jewell
 
2013 (3-0): W, 3-1 - Truman State / W, 3-1 - Missouri-St. Louis / W, 3-0 - Southern Indiana
 
2014 (2-1): W, 3-1 - Lewis / L, 3-0 - Missouri S&T / W, 3-1 - Rockhurst
 
GVSU enters the weekend as the GLIAC's #5 seed. The only other time Grand Valley State has been the #5 seed at the Crossover Tournament was in 2012, when the Lakers went 3-0 with victories over Missouri S&T, Bellarmine, and William Jewell.
 
Finishing the first half of the GLIAC season with a 7-2 conference mark, the Lakers' only losses in league play came at #4 Ferris State and at Ashland last Saturday (Oct. 10). Overall, GVSU is 11-6 on the year and owns a 7-1 record at home. Prior to the loss at Ashland, the Lakers had won three straight matches. Five of the seven league victories for Grand Valley State are 3-0 sweeps.
 
GVSU ranks second in the conference in opponents hitting percentage (.115), just slightly behind Ferris State's league-leading .113 percentage. Aiding in that strong defensive percentage are 18.92 digs per set and 2.41 blocks per set, both of which are the second-best totals in the GLIAC. The Lakers also rank third in the league in assists per set (12.58) and fourth in kills per set (13.36).
 
Freshman middle blocker Staci Brower ranks third among all GLIAC players with 3.42 kills per set and 4.20 points per set. She is fifth in the league in total points (239) and solo blocks (15), while ranking sixth in total blocks (59), seventh in blocks per set (1.04), eighth in total kills (195), and 11th in block assists (44).
 
Another middle hitter, senior Kaleigh Lound, is again having another strong year defensively at the net. Lound is sixth in the conference in block assists (48), eighth in blocks per set (1.02), and ninth in total rejections (55). The team's starting libero, senior Taylor Shomin, is fourth in the league in digs per set (4.81) and fifth in total digs (284). Her 18 service aces are the 15th most in the GLIAC. Senior Betsy Ronda ranks 13th in the league with 3.58 digs per set.
 
Here is some information about Grand Valley State's three opponents from the GLVC:
 
#19 Lewis: 18-1 overall, 9-0 GLVC, #2 seed in the GLVC…Flyers have won last 17 consecutive matches…team's only loss is a 3-1 defeat to Cal State Los Angeles in its second match of the season (Sept. 4)…have been taken to five sets just twice this year; earned a 15-12 fifth set victory over Missouri S&T (Sept. 19) and prevailed with a 16-14 win in set five against Wisconsin-Parkside (Oct. 6) after trailing 2-0 in the match…Lewis ranks second in GLVC in kills per set (13.91) and hitting percentage (.248), while placing third in assists per set (12.59) and service aces (110)…Flyers are fifth in the league in opponents hitting percentage (.143), sixth in blocks per set (2.17), but just 10th in digs per set (16.65)…senior right side Alexis Davito has served up 29 aces (third-most in the GLVC) and is hitting .351, the fourth-best mark in the conference…sophomore middle hitter Aly Schneider ranks fifth in the GLVC in both hitting percentage (.337) and blocks per set (1.19)…junior libero Nicole Yuede is picking up 4.92 digs per set, seventh-most in the league…GVSU is 25-13 all-time against the Flyers…teams have played four times at the Crossover, splitting the four meetings…three of the four Crossover matches between the Lakers and Flyers have gone five sets.
 
Indianapolis: 8-11 overall, 5-4 GLVC, #9 seed in the GLVC…Greyhounds have won last four matches…team started the year 2-2 before losing next five contests…during that five-match losing streak were defeats against top teams like #10 Wheeling Jesuit, #6 Colorado School of Mines, #3 Minnesota Duluth, and Ashland…in addition to that five-match losing streak, the Greyhounds also have a separate four-match losing stretch…in UIndy's most recent outing, the Greyhounds earned a solid 3-1 victory over McKendree, the GLVC's #3 seed at the Crossover…Indianapolis ranks fourth in the GLVC with a .218 hitting percentage and is eighth in both kills per set (12.61) and assists per set (11.61)…Greyhounds are just 11th in the league (out of 16 teams) in blocks, 12th in service aces, 14th in digs and last in opponents hitting percentage (.231)…junior middle blocker Becca Lira is third in the conference in kills per set (3.49) and fourth in points per set (4.06)…junior setter Natalie Wichern ranks second in assists per set (10.30)…GVSU owns an 8-0 record all-time against Indianapolis…the teams have met just once at the Crossover and it was in the opening match of the inaugural Crossover Tournament in 2008…that contest was at Team Indiana Facility in Indianapolis, with the Lakers winning by a 3-1 score before advancing to the NCAA Final Four that year.
 
Missouri S&T: 14-6 overall, 6-3 GLVC, #6 seed in the GLVC…the Miners won eight straight matches after starting the year with a 6-5 record…S&T lost its most recent match to #9 Rockhurst on Saturday, snapping the eight-match win streak…the Miners are second in the GLVC in blocks per set (2.38) and fifth in digs per set (17.19)…S&T ranks sixth in kills per set (12.88), assists per set (11.92), and opponents hitting percentage (.170)…also seventh in offensive hitting percentage (.204), but just 14th in aces (1.08)…senior defensive specialist Jackie Pyles leads the GLVC with 5.58 digs per set…senior middle hitter Krista Haslag is second in the conference in blocks per set (1.37), third in points per set (4.12), eighth in kills per set (3.15), and ninth in hitting percentage (.314)…freshman outside hitter Carlie Combs ranks 10th in kills per set (3.03), while sophomore setter is fifth with 9.76 assists per set…GVSU is 4-2 all-time against the Miners...the teams have played four times at the Crossover Tournament, with each team winning twice…the Lakers won in 2010 and 2012, while S&T captured victories in 2011 and 2014…the 3-0 loss to Missouri S&T in 2014 was GVSU's first loss at the Crossover since the 2011 tournament.
 
After the Crossover Tournament - and to start the second half of the conference season - the Lakers return to Allendale next weekend (Oct. 23-24). GVSU will host Hillsdale on Friday night before facing Findlay on Saturday afternoon in the team's annual Alumni Day celebration. In addition to Alumni Day, the 2005 National Champion team will be honored during Saturday's match against Findlay.