The Grand Valley State volleyball team put up a valiant effort against #20 Lewis in the opening round of the NCAA Midwest Region Tournament on Thursday afternoon (Dec. 3), falling to the Flyers by a 3-1 score. All four sets were close, but the Lakers could only take set three, as their season ends with the four-set defeat (21-25, 26-28, 25-18, 20-25). 

GVSU entered the tournament as the region's #6 seed, while Lewis was the third seed - and also a nationally-ranked top-25 opponent. The loss closes the Lakers' 2015 campaign, as Grand Valley State finishes the year with a 20-12 record. Lewis, at 31-4, advances to the NCAA Midwest Region semifinals against fellow GLVC opponent Rockhurst.

With three of the four sets being decided by less than five points, the overall stats were fairly similar, as well. Lewis hit .186 and GVSU connected at a .182 clip, with both teams putting down 53 kills. The Lakers held advantages in digs (76-70) and blocks (9-8), while Lewis led in assists (51-47) and aces (5-4).

It is the first time in four meetings that Lewis has defeated GVSU in the NCAA postseason. The Flyers earned a tough 3-2 victory over Grand Valley State earlier in this regular season at the Midwest Region Crossover Tournament.

Senior Jessica Majerle posted a team-high 15 kills and hit .243 in her final match as a Laker. Freshman Staci Brower put away nine kills and added five blocks, while senior Kaleigh Lound added eight kills and four rejections.

Sophomore setter Katie Olson handed out a match-best 41 assists, while adding 11 digs, four kills, and two block assists. Seniors Taylor Shomin (22 digs), Betsy Ronda (15), and Kourtney Wolters (14) all recorded double-digits in digs.

The first set was tied at 1-1 before Lewis ran off eight consecutive points to take a stunning 9-1 lead. Lewis pushed ahead 14-3 before four straight Laker points brought GVSU within 14-7. The final three points came on two kills from Majerle and one from Olson. Lewis still led 22-14 before GVSU notched five points in a row on the serving of Shomin, while Ronda, Majerle, and Brower all tallied kills. It was 22-19 after a Flyer error and the Lakers would get as close as 23-21 on a Brower kill. The Flyers, however, scored the final two points to take the opening set.

GVSU scored six of the first eight points in set two, but Lewis rallied to tie the score at 6-6 and again at 8-8. With another tie at 12-12, the Lakers ran off a 5-1 run which included a pair of aces from Olson and kills from Lound, Majerle, and Brower. Grand Valley State kept Lewis at bay, leading 24-21 and serving for set point. The Flyers responded with four points in a row and actually served for set point themselves before a service error kept the score tied at 25-25. A Majerle kill tied things again at 26-26, but consecutive GVSU errors ended the set.

The Lakers showed some fight in the third set. Trailing 14-10, Grand Valley State battled back to tie the score at 16-16 on a Brower solo rejection, then take an 18-16 advantage after two Lewis errors. Later in the set, Brower teamed with Wolters and then freshman Shannon Winicki for consecutive blocks and a 22-17 lead. Kills from Wolters and Lound ended the set at 25-18 and forced a fourth frame.

Lewis answered with a 6-0 start to the fourth set and looked to run away with the stanza, but GVSU chipped away to a 16-14 deficit. A kill from freshman Brooke Smith brought the Lakers within a point at 19-18, but the Flyers would score six of the final eight points to close the set and the match.

Wolters added six kills to her 14 digs, while Winicki supplied seven kills and three block assists. 

It was the final match for seven Laker seniors. Ronda finished her GVSU career as one of just eight Lakers to ever record over 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs. She totaled 1,474 digs - the fifth-most in Laker history - and 1,210 kills, the 10th-highest total at Grand Valley State. Ronda's 3.30 digs per set is the fourth-highest career average in program history.

Lound's 292 block assists are the 10th-most by a Laker in their career, while she finished 11th in blocks per set (0.95) and 13th in total rejections (354).

In her only season on the varsity team, Shomin - who played three years of club volleyball for GVSU - recorded 562 digs, the fourth-most in a season in school history. Only 2015 Grand Valley State Hall of Fame inductee Allyson Riley ever totaled more in a season, as she holds the top three spots for single season digs. Shomin's 4.61 digs per set is the sixth-highest average by a Laker in a season.

Making its 17th postseason appearance, Grand Valley State is now 37-16 all-time in NCAA Tournament play for a strong .698 winning percentage. This year marked the 33rd time in program history that GVSU has won at least 20 matches in a season.