Despite hitting over .300 for the fourth time this season and notching a season-high in blocks, the #24 Grand Valley State volleyball team was unable to knock off visiting Findlay on Saturday afternoon (Oct. 24) in Allendale. The Lakers dropped a 3-2 decision to the Oilers (23-25, 25-23, 26-28, 25-17, 12-15) on the team's annual Alumni Day.
 
It was an incredibly close contest throughout the match, as three sets were decided by the minimum two points and another stanza by just three points. There were 30 tie scores and 13 lead changes overall, including seven ties and five lead changes in just the fifth set.
 
The loss drops GVSU to 14-8 on the season and 8-3 in league play, as the Lakers and Oilers were tied in the conference standings entering the match. Findlay is now 16-6 overall and 9-2 in GLIAC action.
 
Oddly enough, Grand Valley State held the upper hand in nearly every statistical category. The Lakers hit .304 for the match, while holding Findlay to a .215 attack mark. GVSU had an edge in kills (72-68), assists (69-63), digs (76-67), and a wide margin in total blocks (16-4). The only category the Oilers owned a lead was service aces, 6-5.
 
The 72 kills were Grand Valley State's second-highest total of the season, but the team's blocking was very solid with 16 total blocks (five solo rejections, 22 block assists). The last time the Lakers recorded more blocks was on Nov. 24, 2013, when GVSU tallied 18 rejections in a five-set home win over Ashland in the GLIAC Championship.
 
Three Lakers were very productive offensively, led by senior Betsy Ronda's team-best 21 kills, a .362 hitting percentage, and 18 digs. Classmate Jessica Majerle added 16 kills and hit .351, while blocking three attempts. Another Laker senior - Kourtney Wolters - recorded 15 kills, 12 digs, and six total blocks. Wolters was joined by freshman Staci Brower in the blocking category, as Brower notched nine rejections (two solo).
 
GVSU was able to tie the score in set one at 22-22 on a Majerle kill and a combined block from Brower and Majerle. Findlay would score the next two points before a Brower kill made the score, 24-23. The Oilers ended the set and took a 1-0 lead on a kill on the next point to win 25-23. Grand Valley State totaled 16 kills and hit .433 in the opening frame.
 
Set two was again close at the end, tied at 20-20 before Ronda notched a kill and Majerle and senior Kaleigh Lound combined for a block. Ahead 23-22, the Lakers received kills from Lound and Brower to tie the match at one set apiece.
 
In the third set, the teams were tied at points 22, 23, 24, 25, and 26 (nine ties overall in the stanza), but the Oilers used a kill and a Laker error to fall behind in the match, 2-1. Findlay was strong offensively in the third set, hitting .378 with 18 kills.
 
GVSU led set four 11-9 before rattling off five consecutive points, including kills from Majerle and Ronda and a combined Lound-Majerle block. Majerle put down two more kills in another 5-0 run later in the set to push the cushion to 22-11. The Lakers would hit .417 with 15 kills and zero errors in winning the fourth frame and heading to the pivotal fifth set.
 
Ronda, Lound, and Majerle each recorded a kill, while Brower added a solo rejection, to give the Lakers a 5-2 lead to open the fifth set. Findlay would tie the score at 7-7, but a solo block from freshman Shannon Winicki gave GVSU the 8-7 advantage. The teams would be tied again at points nine, 10, and 11, but Findlay scored four of the final five points, using a block to seal the 15-12 victory.
 
In addition to her nine blocks, Brower supplied seven kills. Lound also added seven kills, hit .357, and tallied five blocks. Sophomore Katie Olson dished 43 assists and picked up nine digs, while freshman Taylor Stewart recorded 21 assists and eight digs. Senior libero Taylor Shomin picked up a team-best 21 digs.
 
The Lakers travel to the Upper Peninsula next weekend (Oct. 30-31), as GVSU will face Northern Michigan and Michigan Tech.