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The Grand Valley State volleyball team will face off with #3 Ferris State in the GLIAC Tournament semifinals on Saturday afternoon (Nov. 21) in Big Rapids. GVSU advanced to the conference's final four with a 3-1 home victory on Wednesday night over Ashland.

All four higher seeds won their respective home matches on Wednesday night, with fourth-seeded Grand Valley State topping fifth-seed Ashland by winning sets one, two, and four. Top-ranked Ferris State swept eighth-seeded Michigan Tech, third-seed Hillsdale also swept sixth-ranked Saginaw Valley State, and second-seeded Findlay upended seventh-seed Northern Michigan in a close 3-1 contest.

GVSU and Ferris State will play in the first semifinal on Saturday at 3:00 p.m., with Findlay and Hillsdale following at 5:30 p.m. In between the two matches, there will be a ceremony announcing the 2015 All-GLIAC Teams and the individual award winners. Sunday's championship match will also be a 3:00 p.m. start.

The Lakers had a very balanced offense on Wednesday night, with six Lakers notching four or more kills. Senior Kaleigh Lound's 11 kills and .333 hitting percentage led the way for GVSU, but it was the team's defense - also led by Lound - that made the difference.

Grand Valley State notched 17.0 total team blocks, which was one shy of its season-best, and the Lakers recorded nine solo rejections. That is the team's highest total since the 2013 season. Lound totaled eight blocks, while senior Kourtney Wolters and freshman Staci Brower posted five rejections apiece.

Saturday's semifinal will be the third meeting of the season between the two West Michigan rivals. On Sept. 29 in Big Rapids, the Bulldogs earned a 3-1 victory by notching wins in sets one, two, and four. In the rematch in Allendale on Nov. 3, Grand Valley State took a 2-0 lead (winning both sets 25-23), but FSU rallied back to win the final three sets and take the match, 3-2. The fifth set was decided by a 15-13 final score.
 
This marks the 12th meeting between GVSU and Ferris State's senior classes and the fourth time during the postseason. The schools split a pair of regular season matches in 2012 and FSU captured a 3-2 victory in Allendale to win the 2013 Midwest Region championship. After the Bulldogs won the GLIAC Championship last year over GVSU in Allendale, the Lakers earned revenge by sweeping Ferris State five days later - also in Allendale - one day before claiming their ninth Midwest Region title with a 3-0 win over Rockhurst.

In regards to this year's NCAA postseason, the latest Midwest Region rankings released on Wednesday afternoon had Ferris State ranked first and five other GLIAC schools ranked in the top-eight. GVSU was ranked eighth (with the top eight teams making the NCAA Tournament from the region), while Findlay (fourth place), Hillsdale (fifth), Ashland (sixth), and Saginaw Valley State (seventh) were in between the Bulldogs and Lakers.

The NCAA Tournament selection show will be held online through ncaa.com on Monday night (Nov. 23) at 7:30 p.m., as the winner of the GLIAC Tournament earns an automatic bid into the NCAA postseason.

Grand Valley State has been to the GLIAC Tournament 20 times in program history, owning a 35-15 overall record. In 12 of those previous 19 appearances, the Lakers have earned a spot in the conference tournament championship match, winning six GLIAC Tournament titles (2000, 2002, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2013).