Despite posting a strong blocking performance for the second straight match, Grand Valley State was on the wrong end of a 3-1 score against another Upper Peninsula opponent on Saturday afternoon (Oct. 29). After beating Northern Michigan in four sets on Friday night (Oct 28), the Lakers fell to visiting Michigan Tech in four stanzas (19-25, 25-15, 21-25, 22-25) in the Fieldhouse Arena.
 
Saturday's result puts Grand Valley State and Michigan Tech in a tie in the GLIAC standings with matching 7-5 records. Overall, GVSU is now 13-10, while the Huskies improve to 12-13.
 
The Lakers head on the road three times next week, including matches at Ferris State (Nov. 1), Saginaw Valley State (Nov. 4), and Lake Superior State (Nov. 5) in a five-day span. It will be the team's final road contests of the regular season.
 
From a statistical standpoint, the teams were very even throughout the match. Michigan Tech had slight edges in kills (47-45), assists (44-41), service aces (7-3), and digs (69-68), while the Lakers notched 14-8 advantage in total blocks. MTU committed 30 hitting errors and owned a .112 attack percentage; GVSU hit .106 with 29 attack miscues.
 
Sophomore Staci Brower tallied team-highs of 13 kills and eight total blocks, as both sophomore Jillian Butsavich (six kills) and freshman Jayci Suseland (five kills) picked up five total rejections (one solo block apiece).
 
The Laker outside hitters - sophomore Brooke Smith and freshman Kendall Yerkes - each put up matching statlines of 11 digs, seven kills, and two block assists. Yerkes served up two of the Lakers' three aces. Senior Amanda Glaza had the other ace and a team-high 12 digs.
 
Junior setter Katie Olson delivered a 19-assist, 11-dig double-double and sophomore Taylor Stewart added 17 assists, nine digs, and three kills in four attempts.
 
Michigan Tech ran off six straight points after a 3-3 tie in set one to open a 9-3 advantage before the Lakers began to mount a comeback. Butsavich and Stewart put down kills, while Butsavich teamed with junior Sydney Doby for a combined rejection making the score 11-8. Three kills from Brower brought GVSU within two points at 15-13, but Michigan Tech would continue to hold the lead. Brower teamed with Suseland and then Yerkes for back-to-back blocks to keep GVSU close at 23-19, but the Huskies scored the final two points to take the set.
 
The second set was close at 12-10 before Doby and Yerkes put down consecutive kills. Leading 14-12, GVSU ran off four points in a row, including a kill and an ace from Yerkes and a Butsavich-Doby combined block. A kill from Smith and Glaza's ace were followed by a Butsavich kill and a 22-14 Laker advantage. Brower and Suseland combined for a block, while Yerkes' kill ended the frame at 25-15.
 
Despite trailing 3-0 in set three, GVSU responded by taking a 10-7 cushion on four straight kills from Smith, Yerkes, Smith, and Doby. From there, however, Michigan Tech scored seven consecutive points to take a 14-10 lead. The Huskies would stay on top and use another 4-0 run to push ahead 21-16. Butsavich's kill made it 24-21, but MTU would finish off the set on the next point to take a 2-1 lead in the match.
 
Michigan Tech jumped ahead 10-4 in the fourth frame before GVSU bounced back with a 7-2 run that included two Brower kills and a solo rejection by Suseland. The Lakers would be close at 12-11, but could never fully complete the comeback and tie the score again in the set. Trailing 20-15, MTU committed a hitting error and Brower then teamed with Smith and sophomore Shannon Winicki on consecutive blocks, bringing the Lakers within two at 20-18. Back-to-back kills from Winicki and Brower made it 21-20, but the Huskies scored three straight points to open a 24-20 cushion and eventually win the match.
 
GVSU's match at Ferris State on Tuesday night (Nov. 1) is a 7:00 p.m. start in Big Rapids.