Grand Valley State dropped a 3-0 road decision at #20 Ferris State on Tuesday night in a match in which two of the three sets were very close. The Lakers and Bulldogs were tied 18 times throughout the contest, but FSU ultimately pulled away by straight set scores of 25-22, 25-10, and 25-21.
 
With the result, GVSU is 13-11 on the season and 7-6 in GLIAC play. It is just the second time this season the Lakers have lost two matches in a row; Grand Valley State had alternated wins and losses in its previous eight matches prior to Tuesday night.
 
Ferris State has won 17 matches in a row and is 21-5 overall and atop the GLIAC standings with a 12-1 conference tally.
 
The Lakers continue their three-match road week at Saginaw Valley State and Lake Superior State this weekend (Nov. 4-5). Those will be the final regular season road matches for GVSU, who plays Northwood and Hillsdale next weekend in Allendale.
 
On Tuesday, Ferris State held a slight advantage in kills (37-33), assists (34-31), digs (41-33), blocks (11-6), and aces (3-2). The Bulldogs did hit .237 to GVSU's .075, as the home team committed just 15 hitting errors compared to the Lakers' 25 miscues.
 
Sophomore Staci Brower led all players with a match-high nine kills and four total blocks, three of which were solo rejections. Classmate Jillian Butsavich recorded seven kills and a .333 hitting percentage in 15 swings to go with a pair of blocks.
 
Outside hitter Shannon Winicki notched six kills in her first full match back from injury, while freshman Kendall Yerkes supplied six digs, four kills, and two block assists. Senior Amanda Glaza picked up a team-high eight digs and served both of GVSU's aces.
 
Ferris State opened an 18-15 lead midway through set one before Winicki and Brower posted consecutive kills and Glaza served an ace to tie the score at 18-18. It was tied at 19-19 when the Bulldogs scored three straight points before a Brower kill made it 22-20. The teams alternated points the rest of the set, with FSU nabbing the 25-22 win.
 
In set two, the Lakers tied things up at 7-7 after a Winicki kill and a Bulldog error. Ferris State scored the next four points as part of a set-changing 9-2 run, giving the home team a 16-9 advantage. Junior Sydney Doby put down a kill to make it 16-10, but GVSU would not score again, as Ferris State tallied the final nine points of the frame.
 
The Lakers scored five straight points to turn a 6-6 tie into an 11-6 advantage; Winicki and Yerkes tallied kills during the five-point run. A Brower solo rejection and a Brooke Smith kill kept GVSU ahead 13-8. FSU began to rally but kills from Brower and Yerkes made the score 16-12 in the Lakers' favor, which preceded four straight points from the Bulldogs. The set would be tied at points 16, 17, and 18 until FSU scored three in a row and took a 21-18 lead. A Butsavich kill kept it close at 22-20, but the Buldogs scored three of the final four points for a 25-21 win.
 
Both setters - junior Katie Olson and sophomore Taylor Stewart - tallied 13 assists and six digs apiece.