Watch vs. Northern Michigan (ESPN 3)
Live Stats vs. Northern Michigan 

Watch vs. Michigan Tech (ESPN 3)
Live Stats vs. Michigan Tech 

ALLENDALE, Mich. – The Grand Valley State volleyball team will open Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) play this weekend with two matches at home against Northern Michigan on Friday at 7:00 PM and Michigan Tech on Saturday at 4:00 PM. Both matches will be aired on ESPN 3 with Tom Cleary on the call (links above). The Lakers have begun the 2019 campaign with a 4-4 record which included trips to North Carolina and Florida.
 
The Lakers opened their season in North Carolina at the Queens Fall Classic and UNC Pembroke Invitational on September 6 and 7. GVSU dropped both matches in the Queens Fall Classic to Lander University (2-3) and Lenoir-Rhyne University (0-3) before winning both matches the following day against UNC Pembroke (3-2) and Coker College (3-0) at the UNC Pembroke Invitational.
 
Last weekend (Sep. 13-14) GVSU traveled to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida to compete in the NSU Shark Invitational. The Lakers defeated Southern New Hampshire in a five-set thriller by a score of 3-2 after being down 0-2 to begin play on Friday. In the second match on Friday, GVSU fell to #22 ranked Wayne State (Neb.) in straight sets. The Lakers found themselves in another five-set match on Saturday with the host, Nova Southeastern, but came up on the losing end 3-2. However, GVSU bounced back to win the final match of the tournament in straight sets against Florida Tech. For their efforts, freshman Jaeli Primus and redshirt freshman Emma Clines were named to the NSU Shark Invitational All-Tournament Team.
 
The Lakers are currently in the middle of the pack of the GLIAC standings in sixth place. With conference play beginning this weekend, the standings will essentially reset to feature each team's conference record. Ashland (7-2), Ferris State (6-2), and Saginaw Valley (6-2) sit atop the standings, while Michigan Tech (5-3) and Wayne State (5-3) are fourth and fifth respectively. Statistically, GVSU is leading the GLIAC in total blocks with 78 and blocks per set with 2.44 and are third in the conference in digs with 522.
 
Individually for GVSU, Primus leads the GLIAC in total blocks with 40 while also adding 73 kills and a .272 attack percentage. Clines ranks ninth in the conference in kills with 96, freshman setter Rachel Jacquay is seventh in assists with 254, and freshman Haley Blaney is fifth in service aces with 11.
 
Ali Thompson has a team-high 104 digs to go along with 88 kills which ranks second on the team. Senior Kendall Yerkes has tallied 98 digs, while freshman Karlie Kucharczyk has totaled 70 digs and 48 kills.
 
Northern Michigan – Friday at 7:00 P.M. (GVSU Fieldhouse)
 
The Wildcats will come into Allendale with a 3-5 record which includes wins over Mary, Minnesota-Crookston, and Gannon. NMU participated in the Keweenaw Volleyball Classic in Houghton, Michigan during the opening weekend of the season before competing in the University of Indianapolis Invitational last weekend.
 
Northern Michigan is led by sophomore Lizzy Stark who ranks fourth in the GLIAC in kills with 116, while fellow sophomore Hailey Wickstrom has recorded 83 kills. Freshman setter Lauren Van Remortel has a team-high 286 assists and sophomore Lauren Caprini leads the team in digs with 123.
 
The Wildcats finished 16-11 overall and 5-11 in GLIAC play a season ago. GVSU, who leads the all-time series 51-48, defeated NMU 3-1 in their lone meeting a season ago in Marquette.
 
Michigan Tech – Saturday at 4:00 P.M. (GVSU Fieldhouse)
 
Michigan Tech will begin GLIAC play on Friday at Davenport before making the short trip over to Allendale for Saturday's matchup with the Lakers. The Huskies own a 5-3 record in the 2019 campaign so far including wins over Southwest Minnesota State, Mary, Minnesota-Crookston (2), and Bemidji State. Michigan Tech competed alongside Northern Michigan in the Keweenaw Classic and traveled to St. Cloud, Minnesota for the Huskies Classic.
 
Veterans Laura De Marchi (2018 GLIAC Setter of the Year) and Olivia Ghormley (2018 GLIAC Attacker of the Year) currently hold career national rankings. De Marchi is third in the nation in career assists per set (11.67), while Ghormley is sixth in the nation in career kills per set (3.67).
 
The Huskies finished 23-7 overall and 14-2 in GLIAC play last season en route to an NCAA Tournament at-large bid, which resulted in an opening round loss to Lewis. GVSU, who leads the all-time series 58-22, dropped both matches last season with Michigan Tech including the GLIAC Tournament first round match.