Grand Valley State kicked off a very tough road weekend by sweeping GLIAC co-leader Wayne State in the Warriors' gymnasium on Friday night (Oct. 21) in Detroit. It took the Lakers just 75 minutes to knock off WSU in the 3-0 sweep, 25-16, 25-20, 25-16.

After competing at the Midwest Region Crossover Tournament in Aurora, Ill. last weekend as the fifth seed in the GLIAC, the Lakers went back out on the road to take on Wayne State and Findlay; the Warriors and Oilers entered this weekend tied for first place in the conference standings at 8-1. Not only was Wayne State leading the league, but the Warriors were also 8-1 on their home floor in the Matthaei Center heading into the match.

GVSU's dominant offense (.267 hitting percentage to WSU's .035 clip) and defense (9-4 edge in blocks, 44-40 in digs) gave the Lakers arguably their biggest win of the season. Grand Valley State improves to 12-8 on the season and 6-3 in GLIAC play, while the Warriors fall to 17-4 overall and 8-2 in league action. In the most recent AVCA Top-25 poll, Wayne State was the first team listed in the 'Receiving Votes' category, meaning WSU was the 26th-ranked team in the country.

The Laker offense got better in each set on Friday night. GVSU hit .229 with 14 kills in the opening frame, then .256 with 13 kills in set two, and closed with a strong .333 mark and 14 kills in the third stanza. In total, the Lakers posted 41 kills and only 14 errors, while Wayne State's kills (28) were nearly matched by its attack errors (24).

Freshman Jayci Suseland was far and away the top offensive performer on Friday night. The right side hitter notched 19 kills in 36 swings and hit .361, while adding a pair of blocks and two digs. No other player in the match had more than eight kills, while Suseland tallied six, six, and seven kills in the three sets.

Junior setter Katie Olson posted a double-double with a match-high 22 assists and a team-best 12 digs. Three Lakers added five kills apiece; sophomores Jillian Butsavich and Staci Brower and freshman Kendall Yerkes all had five kills in the three-set win. Butsavich's five kills came on nine errorless swings, as the middle hitter connected for a .556 clip.

Brower notched six total blocks, three of which were solo rejections; there were only three other solo blocks in the entire match. Butsavich, Suseland, and junior Sydney Doby had two blocks each. Sophomore Taylor Stewart handed out a dozen assists, while classmate Brooke Smith supplied eight digs, four kills, and two of the team's three aces. Freshman Sydney Benchley picked up eight digs, while Yerkes nabbed nine.

GVSU sent an early message by scoring six of the match's first seven points, which was punctuated by a Brower solo block and a combined rejection from Brower and Yerkes. The Lakers were ahead 14-11 when Suseland put down two kills around a Wayne State error. After a Smith kill, the Lakers led and forced a Warrior timeout. Suseland added another kill after the timeout to extend the advantage to 19-11. That lead would be plenty, as late kills from Butsavich and Smith helped close the frame, 25-16.

Wayne State led early in set two 6-3 before the Lakers tied the score at 12-12. However, the Warriors tallied five of the next six points, prompting a Laker timeout. Trailing 17-13, GVSU made its move. Kills from Brower and Butsavich brought the Lakers within two at 18-16, then consecutive putaways from Suseland and Doby tied the contest at 19-19. Another Doby kill followed a WSU miscue, putting the Lakers in front, 21-19. Holding a 21-20 lead, Suseland put down back-to-back kills, then teamed with Doby for a combined rejection. Smith's service ace finished off the solid comeback at 25-20 and gave GVSU the 2-0 advantage.

Suseland tallied a kill for the first point of set three and the Lakers would hold the lead the remainder of the stanza. Ahead 10-7, Grand Valley State used a big mid-set run to provide the cushion, as the Lakers rattled off a 7-2 run and moved in front 17-9. Suseland and Brower each supplied two kills during the surge, with Brower recording a solo block. Kills from Smith and Butsavich extended the lead to 20-12 and later in the set, Doby added a kill and Smith served another ace. The match ended on Suseland's 19th and final kill of the contest.

The Laker defense was particularly strong, holding Wayne State to a -.129 hitting percentage in set one, just a .120 mark in the second set, and an .062 clip in the final frame.

GVSU continues the road trip into Ohio on Saturday afternoon, as the Lakers take on Findlay at 2:00 p.m.