at Saginaw Valley State (Friday, 7:00 p.m.): Live Stats
at Lake Superior State (Saturday, 2:00 p.m.): Video | Live Stats
 
Grand Valley State closes out its final regular season road contests this weekend, capping its road trip of three matches in five days. The Lakers will take on Saginaw Valley State on Friday night at 7:00 p.m. before traveling north to face Lake Superior State on Saturday afternoon at 2:00 p.m.
 
These matches will be the second and third road competitions for GVSU this week, after the Lakers dropped a 3-0 decision at Ferris State on Tuesday night (Nov. 1). Overall, Grand Valley State is 13-11 on the year and 7-6 in conference play. The Lakers are tied with Hillsdale for eighth place in the GLIAC standings, with the top eight teams advancing to the GLIAC Tournament, which starts on Nov. 16.
 
Saginaw Valley State enters this weekend with a 16-8 overall record and a 9-4 mark in league action. The Cardinals sit in third place in the GLIAC standings, sandwiched between second-place Findlay (11-3) and fourth-place Wayne State (9-5). Lake Superior State is 3-22 overall and 0-13 in the conference.
 
Not only is Friday's matchup against SVSU important for GLIAC postseason play, it could also have NCAA postseason implications. The first NCAA Midwest Region rankings were released on Wednesday afternoon, with Saginaw Valley State being slotted seventh and GVSU ranked eighth. Six of the top-10 teams in the rankings are from the GLIAC, including top-ranked Ferris State, Wayne State (fourth), Findlay (fifth), and Ashland (ninth). The top eight teams will advance to the NCAA Tournament in a few weeks, with Grand Valley State currently sitting right on the cusp of earning a postseason berth.
 
The Lakers will look to snap a two-match losing streak, just the second time this year GVSU has lost consecutive matches. Prior to the loss at Ferris State on Tuesday, the Lakers had alternated wins and losses in eight matches in a row. Despite the loss to FSU, there were 18 tie scores and two sets came down to the final few points, but Grand Valley State was unable to prevail over a Bulldog team that has won 17 consecutive matches.
 
Leading the way against FSU was sophomore Staci Brower, who totaled a match-high nine kills and three solo blocks. Brower is second in the GLIAC with 29 solo rejections, while ranking fourth in blocks per set (1.09), fifth in total blocks (99), eighth in hitting percentage (.296), and ninth in block assists (70).
 
With 260 total kills, Brower and freshman Jayci Suseland have formed quite a 1-2 offensive combo. Suseland leads the Lakers with 303 kills and 3.37 kills per set, good for 10th and sixth-most, respectively, of any player in the GLIAC. In conference matches, her 3.54 kills per set are third-most, while her 177 kills are sixth-highest.
 
Two of the Lakers outside hitters are very similar on the stat sheet. Sophomore Brooke Smith has tallied 301 digs, 188 kills, 29 assists, 15 blocks, and 10 aces, while freshman Kendall Yerkes has recorded 300 digs, 178 kills, 25 assists, 23 blocks, and 11 aces.
 
Sophomore Jillian Butsavich has produced recently, ranking second on the team with 50 total blocks. She is 15th in the GLIAC with 14 solo blocks and 19th with 0.77 blocks per set. Junior Katie Olson is handing out 8.07 assists per set and has picked up 252 digs, while liberos Sydney Benchley (255 digs, 18 aces) and Amanda Glaza (171 digs, 19 aces) have paced the Laker defense.
 
Saginaw Valley State is riding a 10-match winning streak, but have only swept three of those opponents. The Cardinals won three consecutive 3-2 matches to start the current winning streak, topping Ashland, Ohio Dominican, and Lake Erie in early October. SVSU notched a 3-0 sweep at Lake Superior State on Tuesday night, after winning four-set decisions at Northwood and Hillsdale last weekend.
 
Despite being a combined 13-5 in road/neutral matches, the Cardinals are just 3-3 at home, though they won their most recent home contests against Walsh (3-1) and Ashland (3-2). SVSU leads the GLIAC in digs per set (18.07) and is second in kills (13.21) and assists (12.35) per set. While the Cardinals are just eighth overall in hitting percentage (.203), they jump to second with a .205 mark in GLIAC-only matches. Against conference opponents, Saginaw Valley State is also the league leader in kills (695) and assists (654) and second in both digs (955) and digs per set (18.37).
 
Four Cardinals have tallied over 200 kills, led by senior Kaylee Schmitt and her 271 kills and team-best 87 total blocks. The middle hitter also owns a .340 hitting percentage, fourth-highest in the GLIAC. Outside hitters Tamara Heller (293 digs, 231 kills, 32 blocks), Andrea Brigham (241 digs, 213 kills, 28 blocks), and McKenzie Schuster (212 kills, 54 blocks) have also produced for the Cardinals. Senior setter Kelly Vellucci's 10.62 are second-most in the GLIAC.
 
Lake Superior State has lost three matches in a row since a 3-0 win over Finlandia on Oct. 22. It was the Lakers' second win in three contests, having also defeated Malone (3-2) on Oct. 15 at the Midwest Region Crossover. LSSU's other win was back on Sept. 3 in a 3-1 victory over West Virginia State.
 
After that September victory, Lake Superior dropped 16 consecutive matches before beating Malone. LSSU is 1-6 at home this season. Junior Brooke Williams leads the Lakers with 157 kills and has added 31 total blocks, while freshman Amanda Reid has posted 144 digs and 120 kills. Junior Karlee Weissend owns a team-high 73 blocks - ranking 18th in the GLIAC - and classmate Justice Kjolhede's 293 digs lead Lake Superior State.
 
After this weekend, Grand Valley State returns to Allendale next weekend to close out the regular season portion of the schedule. The Lakers will host Northwood next Friday night (Nov. 11) and take on Hillsdale on Saturday afternoon (Nov. 12).