The Grand Valley State volleyball team dropped a 3-0 decision at #3 Ferris State in the semifinals of the GLIAC Tournament on Saturday (Nov. 21) in Big Rapids. Sets one and two were close down the stretch, but FSU pulled away with straight set scores of 25-22, 25-22, and 25-11.

GVSU advanced to the league tournament semifinals with a 3-1 win over Ashland on Wednesday night in Allendale, while Ferris State swept Michigan Tech in its quarterfinal contest. It was the third meeting of the season between the two West Michigan schools, with the Bulldogs winning all three matches.

With the loss, Grand Valey State drops to 20-11, while FSU improves to 30-2. The Lakers will await the NCAA Tournament Selection Show on Monday night (Nov. 23) at 7:30 p.m. to see if they will appear in the Midwest Region Tournament in early December. In the most recent regional rankings, GVSU was ranked eighth; the top eight teams advance to the NCAA postseason.

The Bulldogs were strong offensively, owning a .223 hitting percentage and 42 kills. Grand Valley State hit .059 with 35 kills. The Lakers led in digs (89-80) and service aces (5-3), while FSU owned a 9-5 advantage in total blocks.

Senior Jessica Majerle led the Lakers with nine kills, while freshman Staci Brower supplied seven kills and four total blocks. Sophomore Katie Olson totaled 25 assists, tied for the match-best 20 digs, and three kills in seven attempts. Olson was tied with senior libero Taylor Shomin, who also had 20 digs. Shomin served up three of the team's five aces.

Ferris State jumped out to a 9-3 lead in the opening set, which eventually led to a 24-14 advantage. The Lakers, however, came back to score the next eight points and made the score 24-22 behind Shomin's strong serving, which included a pair of aces. Majerle added two kills, Brower put down a kill, and the duo combined for a block. After senior Kourtney Wolters and Olson notched kills, the 8-0 run brough GVSU within two points. FSU finally took the set one point later at 25-22.

The Bulldogs and Lakers were tied at 13-13 before Ferris State jumped ahead 21-16. From there, GVSU again made a late run, with three straight kills from senior Betsy Ronda and two from Majerle. The next three points came via blocks, as Brower teamed with Wolters for a pair of rejections, and recorded a solo block of her own. The last Brower-Wolters block put Grand Valley State ahead by a 22-21 score. Ferris State responded by scoring the next four points to take the second straight set at 25-22.

In set three, FSU went out ahead 8-3 and pushed out to a 14-6 advantage midway through the set. The Bulldogs hit .298 with 15 kills and one error in the final set, clinching the victory with a 25-11 win.

Ronda provided nine digs and six kills, while Wolters supplied 18 digs, five kills, and three total blocks. 

It was the 20th all-time appearance for the Lakers in the GLIAC Tournament. GVSU is now 35-16 overall in conference tournament play.