INDIANAPOLIS, Ind – The Grand Valley State volleyball team split their matches on Saturday at the Midwest Region Crossover in Indianapolis, Indiana. In the first match against #10 Lewis, GVSU won the first set but dropped the next three and lost 3-1 (25-22, 13-25, 20-25, 17-25) before defeating GLVC-leading Drury in straight sets (25-14, 25-21, 25-22). The Lakers finished 1-2 at the crossover and now sit 9-11 overall.
vs. #10 Lewis – Loss (3-1)
The Lakers came out strong in set one against the nationally ranked Flyers by matching point for point the entire set which featured 19 ties. Lewis held a two-point lead at 14-12 but GVSU evened the set and the two teams traded points until the Flyers took a 21-20 lead. The Lakers went on a 3-0 run to secure their largest lead of the set and held off Lewis to win the set, 25-22.
In set two, Lewis cruised to an easy victory. The Flyers jumped out to an 11-3 lead and increased the margin to 20-8 and 23-9 before finishing the set at 25-13.
GVSU bounced back in set three and grabbed a 14-12 lead after back and forth play to begin the set. However, Lewis went on a 4-0 run to re-take the lead and would not relinquish that lead the rest of the set. The Lakers kept it close at 22-20, but three straight points by the Flyers ended the set.
In the final set, Lewis led the entire set and built an early lead at 13-6. GVSU would trim the deficit to 15-13, but the Flyers finished the match on a 10-4 run.
The Lakers struggled with a .067 attack percentage compared to Lewis' .193 % and the Flyers held a significant advantage in blocks (12-3) and points (61-51). Freshman
Karlie Kucharczyk had a team-high 13 kills, while sophomore
Ali Thompson added nine kills and 10 digs. Freshman setter
Rachel Jacquay totaled 31 assists and senior
Kendall Yerkes chipped in with 21 digs.
vs. Drury – Win (3-0)
Similarly to the match this morning vs. Lewis, the Lakers jumped out early on the first place Panthers. GVSU scored the first five points of the set and increased the lead to 15-5, capitalizing on multiple Drury errors. The Panthers would cut the Laker lead to 20-13 but GVSU went on a 5-1 run to end the set.
The second set was all Drury at the beginning. The Panthers led 8-2 and held a lead of 13-8 before GVSU began to chip away. The Lakers battled back and tied the set at 17-17 and took a 18-17 lead on a 4-0 run. GVSU would hold onto the lead and end the set on back-to-back Drury errors.
The Panthers led most of the third set but the Lakers rallied late and tied the set at 18-18. After trading points, GVSU went on a 3-0 run to lead 23-20, which was their first lead of the set. Freshman
Mattie McCabe would end the match on a kill.
The Lakers put together their second highest attack percentage of the season (.293) and held Drury to a minimal .088 percentage. GVSU dominated the front line with 10 blocks and 39 kills while scoring 52 points compared to the Panthers 38 points. Primus had a team-high 13 kills, while McCabe had eight kills and an impressive nine blocks. Jacquay tallied 32 assists and Yerkes led the team in digs with 12.
GVSU will resume GLIAC play next Friday as they travel to the U.P to take on Lake Superior State.