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ALLENDALE, Mich. – The Grand Valley State women's basketball team will host Ashland in a pair of contests at the GVSU Fieldhouse Arena beginning on Saturday (Jan. 16) at 1 PM. The second game is scheduled for 3 PM on Sunday (Jan. 17)
 
Last season, GVSU went 28-3 with all three losses coming at the hand of the Ashland Eagles. The Lakers dropped the two regular season meetings and then fell 61-53 in the GLIAC Tournament Finals at Kates Gymnasium. Ashland finished 31-0 and ranked #2 in the country, while GVSU was ranked #6 in the final poll of the season. Both teams lost significant contributors from last season as Ashland graduated four-year players, Sara Loomis, Renee Stimpert, and Jodi Johnson (now on Ashland's coaching staff) and GVSU had five seniors in their starting lineup.
 
Despite both squads having to replace key pieces from last season, Ashland and GVSU each swept their opening weekend. The official top-25 poll (WBCA) of Division II will not be released until February 2, however Ashland is ranked #2 in the D2SIDA Top-25 poll and GVSU comes in at #7.
 
Ashland hosted Ferris State last weekend and came away with a 79-55 win on Friday before defeating the Bulldogs 60-45 on Saturday. The Eagles were led by senior forward Karlee Pireu who averaged 20.5 points and five rebounds in the two contests and junior Hallie Heidemann nearly averaged a double-double with 17.5 points and nine rebounds per game. Ashland is currently riding multiple long win streaks that will be on the line this weekend including; 33-game win streak, 25-game conference win streak, and 22-game road win streak.
 
GVSU's new look lineup led the Lakers to a pair of wins at SVSU last weekend. Junior guard Emily Spitzley spearheaded the group, averaging 17.5 points and 10.5 rebounds which earned her GLIAC South Player of the Week honors. Junior forward Hannah Kulas also thrived in the starting role as she stuffed the stat sheet, averaging 10.5 points, six rebounds, four assists, and five steals. Three freshmen (Hadley Miller, Ellie Droste, Rylie Bisballe) also contributed significantly off the bench last weekend with Bisballe knocking down the game-winning free throw in Saturday's 50-49 win.
 
Both games this weekend can be seen live on the Grand Valley Sports Network and on 1230 AM WTKG. As always, follow @gvsuwbb on Twitter and Instagram for updates, news, and more.