Friday (Nov. 6) - vs. Northwood, 7:00 p.m.
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Saturday (Nov. 7) - vs. Lake Superior State, 4:00 p.m.
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The Grand Valley State volleyball team closes out the home portion of its regular season schedule this weekend in Allendale, taking on a pair of North Division opponents. GVSU will welcome Northwood into the Fieldhouse Arena on Friday (Nov. 6) at 7:00 p.m. before taking on Lake Superior State on Saturday (Nov. 7) at 4:00 p.m.
 
Saturday's contest is also GVSU's annual Senior Day celebration and the Lakers will honor the seven seniors on this year's team. To have a chance to return to the Fieldhouse Arena and possibly host an opening round GLIAC Tournament match, Grand Valley State will need to play well this weekend at home.
 
Heading into the weekend, GVSU is in a three-way tie (with Saginaw Valley State and Hillsdale) at 10-4 in conference play. The three teams are tied for fourth place, with the top four teams at the end of the regular season hosting a first round match in the GLIAC Tournament. That trio is behind Ferris State (13-1 GLIAC) and Ashland and Findlay, who are tied at 11-3 in league action.
 
GVSU already has victories over both Saginaw Valley State and Hillsdale this season - important for possible tiebreaker purposes - but the Lakers will travel to SVSU next Friday night (Nov. 13) in a crucial contest.
 
Overall, GVSU is 16-9 on the season, while its weekend opponents have different goals this weekend. Northwood is 11-14 overall and 7-7 in GLIAC play, currently tied with Northern Michigan for eighth place in the league standings, which would equate to being the final team in the conference tournament. Lake Superior State has had a tough season, as the Lakers are 0-21 on the season and 0-14 in league matches. LSSU is looking for its first win and would enjoy nothing more than playing spoiler, especially at GVSU and on Senior Day.
 
This weekend's matches will be the second and third home contests of the week for GVSU. On Tuesday night (Nov. 3), the Lakers won the first two sets against rival and #5 Ferris State before the Bulldogs rallied back to win the final three stanzas and take the match, 3-2. An incredibly close match, there were 40 tie scores and 18 lead changes in the 2-hour, 16-minute marathon contest.
 
Grand Valley State dropped to 2-4 in five-set matches, but the Lakers are 15-5 in all other lengths, including a 10-1 record in three-set finishes. Prior to the loss, GVSU had won five of its previous six matches.
 
As the postseason nears, the Lakers found out on Tuesday afternoon where they stood in the first regional rankings of the season. GVSU is ranked sixth in the Midwest Region, with the top eight teams advancing to the NCAA Tournament. Six of the top-eight teams are from the GLIAC, led by Ferris State (ranked first), Ashland (third), Findlay (fifth), Saginaw Valley State (seventh), and Hillsdale (eighth). The Lakers have recorded victories over SVSU, Hillsdale, and ninth-place Missouri S&T this season.
 
Northwood, the Lakers' Friday opponent, put together a four-match winning streak near the end of October, which included league road wins at Malone and Walsh. That streak was snapped with consecutive 3-0 home losses to Wayne State and Saginaw Valley State, but the Timberwolves swept Lake Superior State on Tuesday night. With an 11-14 overall record, Northwood has just two home victories. The T'Wolves are 5-4 in true road matches and 4-5 in neutral site contests.
 
Lake Superior State has struggled in 2015, having not won a match and only taking two sets from its opponents all season. LSSU lost 3-1 to Kentucky Wesleyan on Oct. 16 and 3-1 against Wayne State on Halloween; all of its remaining matches have been 3-0 defeats.
 
After this weekend's final homestand, GVSU will travel to Saginaw Valley State next Friday (Nov. 13) at 7:00 p.m. and finish up the regular season at Wayne State on Saturday (Nov. 14) at 2:00 p.m. The opening round of the GLIAC Tournament will take place on the following Wednesday (Nov. 18).