#21 Grand Valley State took care of Malone in Canton, Ohio on Friday night (Sept. 25) in a straight set sweep (28-26, 25-14, 25-22) in MU's Osborne Hall. The Lakers doubled Malone in kills (50-25) and notched a much higher hitting percentage (.217 to .050) than the home Pioneers.

With the victory - the Lakers' first true road win of the young season - GVSU improves to 7-4 on the year and a perfect 3-0 in GLIAC play. Malone falls to 0-3 in the league and 4-8 overall. Grand Valley State stays in Canton to take on Walsh on Saturday (Sept. 26) at 2:00 p.m.

The Pioneers battled throughout the contest against GVSU - there were 13 tie scores and six lead changes in the match - but the Lakers looked much stronger on the stat sheet. Including the offensive dominance, Grand Valley State owned a 48-23 edge in assists and a wide 71-50 margin in digs. Malone did lead in aces (7-3) and total blocks (11-9).

Freshman Staci Brower had a terrific match, posting 18 kills in only 33 swings and recording six total blocks. She committed only three hitting errors for an outstanding .455 attack percentage. The 18 kills ties her career-high, which she also achieved against Minnesota State-Moorhead on Sept. 11 in a five-set contest. No other player in Friday's match had more than eight kills.

Senior Jessica Majerle posted those eight kills and added four block assists and four digs, while classmates Kourtney Wolters (10 digs, seven kills, three blocks) and Kaleigh Lound (seven kills in 13 attempts for a .462 percentage) also recorded solid statlines.

Malone actually led the first set 12-3 before the Lakers started to chip away. Three kills from Brower in a four-point stretch pulled GVSU within a point at 19-18, but the Pioneers stayed ahead at 23-21. A Lound kill and two more from Brower had the Lakers serving for the set with a 25-24 lead, but Malone fought off set point. The Pioneers went up 26-25, but a bad MU set preceded a Brower solo rejection and a combined Majerle-Brower block to end the frame. 

Grand Valley State jumped out to a 5-1 advantage in set two and would stay in front the entire frame, although Malone kept the score at a one-point deficit at 8-7. From there, Wolters, Lound, and Majerle each notched a kill and Lound and Wolters combined for a block to push GVSU ahead, 12-7. Another 4-0 Laker run (two kills from Brower, one apiece from Lound and Majerle) made the score 18-9. Three kills from Brower in the final five points finished the set, as the freshman secured her second straight eight-kill frame.

The final set was back and forth, as Grand Valley State needed a five-point run to tie the score at 16-16. Redshirt freshman Shannon Winicki combined with Brower for a block and put down a kill to give the Lakers a 19-18 lead. Tied at 20-20, freshmen Brooke Smith and Taylor Stewart each recorded kills and a Malone error made the score 23-20. Smith closed things out with a kill to give GVSU the 25-22 win.

Senior Betsy Ronda recorded 11 digs in the contest to move into eighth place all-time in GVSU history. Her 1,168 digs pushes her past former Laker All-American Jamie Ashmore, who collected 1,162 digs from 2005-08.

Sophomore setter Katie Olson handed out 27 assists and was one dig shy of a double-double, as she picked up nine digs. Stewart passed for 15 assists and collected eight digs, while senior libero Taylor Shomin led the team with 12 digs and served up all three GVSU aces.