A wild back-and-forth contest in the Upper Peninsula on Friday night (Oct. 30) went Grand Valley State's way, as the Lakers managed to outlast Northern Michigan by a 3-2 final. The teams alternated wins throughout the five sets, with GVSU doing just enough to hold on for the big road victory (25-20, 20-25, 25-22, 12-25, 15-10).
 
Not only was the win important for the Lakers in the GLIAC standings, it was perhaps more important after GVSU dropped a similar five-set battle at home last Saturday against Findlay. Grand Valley State prevailed on Friday night over NMU with 15 total team blocks, while also holding the Wildcats to a .072 hitting percentage.
 
GVSU improves to 15-8 on the season and 9-3 in GLIAC play, while Northern Michigan drops to 16-8 overall, but just 5-7 in the league standings.
 
It was not a particularly strong offensive match for either team. The Lakers recorded a .110 hitting percentage and 50 kills, limiting NMU to just 49 kills and the .072 attack mark. Grand Valley State has not won a five-set match with that low of an offensive output since Sept. 1, 2012, as GVSU topped Western Oregon 3-2. Ironically in that win, the Lakers also totaled exactly 50 kills and a .110 hitting percentage.
 
The GVSU middle hitters were key in the victory, as senior Kaleigh Lound provided a team-high 13 kills, while hitting .278. Lound added four total blocks. Her freshman teammate Staci Brower supplied 10 kills and 10 total blocks (three solo, seven assists).
 
Before Brower, no GVSU player had totaled double-digits in both kills and blocks since Rebeccah Rapin during the 2010 season. Rapin posted 16 kills and 13 total blocks (four solo, nine assists) in a 3-2 victory over #19 Indianapolis in the Midwest Region championship match on Nov. 21, 2010.
 
The last Laker to record at least 10 blocks was Eno Umoh, who notched 10 block assists in a 3-2 win over Saginaw Valley State on Nov. 2, 2012.
 
It has been quite some time since Grand Valley State had such a stout defensive effort in a five-set contest. The Lakers allowed NMU to hit just .072; that is the lowest figure allowed by GVSU in a five-set match since Oct. 24, 2008, when Grand Valley State forced Ferris State into a .067 team hitting percentage in the Lakers' 3-2 road victory.
 
GVSU's 15 total blocks were parlayed by 88 Laker digs, as senior Taylor Shomin picked up a match-best 25 digs. Senior Betsy Ronda tallied 19 digs, six total blocks, and six kills in the victory.
 
In the opening set, the Lakers scored four consecutive points to take a 16-11 advantage, with kills from Lound and senior Kourtney Wolters beginning and closing the run. NMU would rally to within a point on a few occasions, including for the last time at 20-19. After a Wildcat service error, senior Jessica Majerle delivered a big kill to make the Laker lead 22-19. The teams would trade hitting errors before Ronda and Lound teamed for a combined block. After another Wildcat error, GVSU would win the set 25-20.
 
Set two was tied seven times, including an 18-18 deadlock. Northern Michigan rattled off four straight points before a Lound kill ended the run. Majerle's kill kept the score close at 23-20, but NMU would finish off the last two points with a block and an ace to tie the match at 1-1.
 
From a 3-3 tie in the third stanza, GVSU took off thanks to a 10-2 run. Wolters delivered back-to-back kills, which was followed by Brower doing the same. Brower would then team with freshman Shannon Winicki and then Ronda for combined blocks, while Ronda would put down a kill of her own to put the Lakers on top 13-5. NMU, however, would chip away at the deficit and eventually tie the score at 22-22. Sophomore Sydney Doby came up with a clutch kill, which was followed by Lound's kill. The Lakers forced an attack error to take the pivotal third set, 25-22.
 
Northern Michigan rattled off an 8-0 run to turn a slim 6-5 advantage into a 14-5 cushion in set four. The Wildcats hit .308 in the fourth frame and closed the set with an ace to force the fifth set.
 
Appearing to carry the momentum into the fifth set, NMU scored the first two points before Majerle slammed back-to-back kills. The Wildcats would take a 4-2 lead before GVSU sandwiched two Brower kills inside a pair of Northern Michigan errors to take a 6-4 Laker lead. The frame would be tied at 7-7 and 8-8. NMU committed consecutive errors before freshman Kaylene Norris served up a crucial ace, making the score 11-8. Lound then put away two straight kills to up the lead to 13-9. GVSU would finish the set and the match after Northern Michigan committed another attack error and a service error.
 
The Lakers won despite allowing 13 NMU service aces; GVSU had four aces in the victory.
 
Sophomore Katie Olson posted 27 assists, 13 digs, and an ace, as freshman Taylor Stewart notched 11 assists, nine digs, and three kills in four attacks. Wolters provided 12 digs and four kills and Majerle delivered nine kills, four digs, and two block assists.
 
GVSU is back in action on Saturday afternoon (Oct. 31) at 4:00 p.m. The Lakers travel further north to Houghton to take on Michigan Tech.