After sweeping first-place Wayne State in Detroit on Friday night (Oct. 21), Grand Valley State was unable to complete an unbeaten weekend against top GLIAC opponents, falling to Findlay in Ohio on Saturday (Oct. 22). The Lakers won the second set, but ultimately fell in the contest 3-1 (18-25, 25-21, 19-25, 16-25).

Heading into the weekend, Wayne State and Findlay were tied for first place in the league standings with idential 8-1 conference records, making the road trip a tough one for GVSU. Saturday's loss to the Oilers puts Grand Valley State at 12-9 overall and 6-4 in GLIAC play. Findlay - after being swept by Ferris State on Friday night - improves to 16-6 overall and 9-2 in conference action.

With one of the best offenses in the league, Findlay was proficient on Saturday with a 57-44 edge in kills and a .312 hitting percentage. The Lakers were held to a .180 team attack clip. UF is also one of the best blocking teams in the GLIAC and it showed why on Saturday, owning an 11-1 advantage in total rejections. GVSU led in digs 54-52, while the Oilers were on top in assists (55-44) and aces (5-3). Findlay did record 13 service errors; the Lakers had just six.

Sophomore Staci Brower led the GVSU offense with double-digits in kills, as the middle blocker posted 10 kills in 19 swings for a .368 mark, while adding four digs. After a match-best 19 kills against Wayne State on Friday, freshman Jayci Suseland notched nine kills against the Oilers. Junior Sydney Doby, sophomore Brooke Smith, and freshman Kendall Yerkes recorded six kills each.

Findlay jumped out early in set one, turning an 8-2 advantage into a 14-4 cushion. Two kills from Brower and two from sophomore Jillian Butsavich brought the Lakers within five points at 15-10. The Oilers pushed back to a 21-13 lead, but a service ace from sophomore Taylor Stewart and a Butsavich kill made the score, 21-17. Howerver, Findlay scored four of the next five points to get the 25-18 set one victory.

It was the Lakers who started quickly in the second stanza, opening up an 8-3 lead behind back-to-back service aces from freshman Sydney Benchley and kills from Yerkes, Doby, and Suseland. Findlay would get back within two points at 13-11 before junior setter Katie Olson's lone kill and one from Yerkes made it 15-11. GVSU would hold at least a two-point lead the remainder of the set, with two late Brower kills - including one on the final point - ending the frame and knotting the match at one set apiece.

In set three, Findlay scored the first four points before the Lakers rallied to within a point at 10-9 thank to kills from Brower, Smith, and Butsavich. GVSU trailed 21-13 when Smith put down a pair of kills around a Doby kill to make the score 21-16. The teams would trade points the remainder of the set, with the Oilers serving an ace for the winning point.

Set four was tied at 8-8 before UF posted six consecutive points for a 14-8 lead, which was finally snapped on a Suseland kill. Findlay, though, scored the next three points to take a 17-9 cushion and GVSU would be unable to get much closer the rest of the set. The Oilers hit .378 in the final set with 17 kills to close the match with the 25-16 win.

Stewart led the Lakers with 22 assists and six digs, while Olson posted 18 assists and eight digs. Benchley's 16 digs were a team-high and she added a pair of aces and Yerkes reached double figures with 10 pickups. Butsavich took just eight swings, but secured five kills without an error for a .625 mark. Suseland and Doby had the only two block assists in the match for GVSU.

The Lakers return to Allendale next weekend (Oct. 28-29) to face Northern Michigan and Michigan Tech inside the Fieldhouse Arena.