Walsh (Saturday, 4:00 p.m.): Watch | Live Stats
 
For the first time in 2016, the Grand Valley State volleyball team will play a match on its home court. The Lakers - after 10 consecutive road or neutral site contests to start the season - will take on Walsh at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday afternoon (Sept. 24) inside the Fieldhouse Arena.
 
It has been quite a start to the year for GVSU, especially from the standpoint of only practicing and never playing in its home gymnasium during the opening month. The Lakers played an hour north at the Ferris State Invitational on Sept. 2-3 before traveling to the Vulcan Invitational in California, Pa. the next weekend.
 
Grand Valley State maintained a 5-3 record in those first two tournaments, with the only three losses coming to nationally ranked opponents. Furthermore, with the conference schedule the way it was this season, the Lakers went on the road again last weekend with opening GLIAC matches against Hillsdale and Northwood.
 
Last Friday (Sept. 16), Hillsdale won the first two sets before GVSU rallied back to win sets three and four, forcing the decisive fifth frame. Grand Valley State took a 12-11 lead in the fifth set, but ran out of steam, as Hillsdale scored four of the last five points to earn the tough 3-2 victory on its home floor. The next day, the Lakers dropped set one before sweeping the next three sets (all decided by five points or less) to earn a 3-1 win and a split in the weekend trip.
 
To point out how uncommon this lengthy season-opening road trip is: the last time Grand Valley State played a home opener this late was during the 1996 season. 22nd-year head coach Deanne Scanlon was in her second year at the helm of the Laker program that season, as GVSU's first 15 contests in 1996 were away from Allendale. That year, the Lakers did not play their home opener until October 1st.
 
The good news for Grand Valley State is four of the team's next six matches are inside the Fieldhouse Arena. After the opening 10 matches, the youthful Lakers are a solid 6-4 overall and 1-1 in GLIAC play. Three of the four losses came to top-25 teams, while two of the four defeats were in five sets.
 
Defensively, the Lakers have been of the better teams in the league over the first 10 matches. GVSU ranks in the top-five of conference teams in most statistical categories on the defensive side, including the third-most total digs (652) and fourth-most solo blocks (24). Grand Valley State is also fifth in digs per set (16.72), total blocks (75), and blocks per set (1.92).  The team's 483 kills are also fifth-highest in the GLIAC.
 
Sophomore Staci Brower is off to a great start, as the reigning GLIAC Freshman of the Year is the league leader in total blocks (47) and second in solo rejections (14), block assists (33), and blocks per set (1.21). Her .339 hitting percentage is sixth-best in the conference.
 
A pair of freshmen are also having strong beginnings to their Laker careers, as middle blocker Jayci Suseland is second on the team in kills (97) and total blocks (17). Classmate Kendall Yerkes ranks second on the Lakers in digs (129) and is third in kills (90) and narrowly missed out on adding to her team-high total of four double-doubles (kills and digs).
 
Speaking of double-doubles, sophomore Brooke Smith posted an impressive 18-dig, 12-kill double-double in the win over Northwood last Saturday. She has three consecutive matches of exactly 18 digs and is the team leader with 134 pickups. Smith is also fourth in kills with 71.
 
Tied with Yerkes in double-doubles is junior setter Katie Olson, who is running the Laker offense well in the early portion of the year. She tallied 34 assists and 13 digs in the win over Northwood for her seventh match of at least 30 assists this season. Olson is averaging 8.33 assists and 2.44 digs per set.
 
While Brower, Suseland, and Smith each reached double-digits in kills against Northwood, junior Sydney Doby returned from an injury to play a major role in the victory. Doby, a middle blocker, recorded eight kills on 20 attempts and notched seven total blocks in the win, just her second match of the season.
 
The Lakers' first home opponent this season may be seeing the Fieldhouse Arena for the final time. Walsh - from North Canton, Ohio - is leaving the GLIAC after the 2016-17 athletic year, marking possibly the Cavaliers' last trip to Allendale, certainly as a conference opponent.
 
Walsh jumped out to a 3-1 start on the year, defeating Glenville State, Davis & Elkins, and Fairmont State at the season-opening Cavalier Classic in Canton, Ohio on Sept. 2-3. From there, however, the Cavaliers have dropped five consecutive matches, including both of their GLIAC contests last weekend. Walsh fell 3-2 at Lake Erie last Friday night and dropped a 3-1 decision at Ohio Dominican on Saturday.
 
Overall, Walsh is 3-6 on the year and 0-2 in league action. The Cavaliers rank third in the league in digs per set (17.16), seventh in solo blocks (18), and eighth in service aces (45) and digs (549). On the other side, Walsh ranks 14th out of 15 teams in the GLIAC in kills per set (11.94), hitting percentage (.171), and block assists (68). The Cavaliers have won just four sets over the past five matches.
 
Freshman outside hitter Lauren Loucks leads the Cavaliers with 103 kills and is third on the team with 12 blocks. Another outside hitter - junior Gina Kramer - has posted 102 kills and 36 digs. Sophomore setter Olivia Zanolli leads Walsh with 303 assists and 12 aces, while sophomore Amanda Adoranti's 125 digs are the most on the team.
 
GVSU and Walsh have squared off four times in program history, with the Lakers winning all four contests, three of which are by 3-0 sweeps. The teams have played once per year since the 2012 season.
 
After this weekend's opener, the Lakers will host West Michigan rival Ferris State next Tuesday night (Sept. 27) at 7:00 p.m. in the Fieldhouse Arena.