The #21 Grand Valley State volleyball team rolled to its fourth straight victory, a 3-0 sweep at Walsh on Saturday afternoon (Sept. 26) in North Canton, Ohio. GVSU won by set scores of 25-15, 25-17, and 25-21, while nearly doubling Walsh in kills (43-22) and holding the Cavaliers to a negative hitting percentage.

Grand Valley State swept both opponents this weekend, including a 3-0 win over Malone on Friday night. The Lakers are now 8-4 on the year and a perfect 4-0 in GLIAC play. Walsh drops to 4-8 overall and 0-4 in league matches.

On Tuesday night (Sept. 29), GVSU will travel to #2 Ferris State for a 7:00 p.m. contest with its West Michigan rivals. The Bulldogs are also 4-0 in conference action.

While the Lakers didn't post their highest hitting percentage of the season (.188 on 43 kills and 18 errors), GVSU forced Walsh in to a -.016 attack mark, as the Cavaliers tallied just 22 kills and 24 errors. Walsh's highest hitting set was the third frame, as they accumulated eight kills and seven errors for a .024 percentage.

A pair of Lakers - senior Jessica Majerle and freshman Staci Brower - nearly equaled Walsh's total of 22 kills. Majerle and Brower each put down 10 kills, with Majerle hitting .364 and Brower posting a .316 mark. Redshirt freshman Shannon Winicki added seven kills, five digs, and a pair of blocks.

Senior Betsy Ronda - who moved into eighth place all-time in GVSU history in career digs on Friday night - pulled in a match-best 18 digs on Saturday to go with six kills and three block assists. 

Grand Valley State was on top 12-11 in the opening set before Winicki smashed a kill and combined with Brower for a block. Senior Kourtney Wolters followed with a kill to make the score 15-11. Leading 18-14 after a Ronda kill, the Lakers scored the next three points, including a combined rejection from Ronda and fellow senior Kaleigh Lound. Winicki and freshman Jillian Butsavich teamed up for a block to make the score 24-15 and a Walsh error finished the frame.

The Lakers turned a 3-3 tie in set two into a 15-6 advantage after back-to-back-to-back kills from Brower, Ronda, and Majerle. Walsh managed just five kills and a .000 hitting percentage in the set and never threatened after that point. A late kill from senior Audrey Kidd and a Cavalier error closed the scoring.

Set three was tied eight times; the final time was 12-12. From there, Lound, Winicki, and Brower recorded consecutive kills to take a 15-12 lead. Brower would add four more kills in the remainder of the set (she had kills in 11 swings in just the third set) and a late block from Ronda and Butsavich kept the Lakers in front at 24-20. They would close the match two points later.

Setter Katie Olson notched a double-double with 16 assists and 12 digs, while senior libero Taylor Shomin provided 14 digs. Sophomore Taylor Stewart added 19 assists and five digs, while recording the only service ace of the entire match. Lound also supplied six kills in just 11 swings for a .545 hitting percentage.