ALLENDALE, MICH. – The Grand Valley women's volleyball team is back in GLIAC play this weekend as they take one two Upper Peninsula foes, with both Michigan Tech and Northern Michigan taking the trek down to Allendale as they each will play GVSU for the second time this season. The Lakers will take on the Huskies on Friday night at 7pm, then turn around for a 4pm tilt with the Wildcats on Homecoming Saturday.
 
Grand Valley is coming off a 1-2 performance at the Midwest Region Crossover in Hammond, Indiana last weekend, defeating Hillsdale before falling to Lewis and Findlay. The lakers are 14-8 this season and 7-4 in conference play, sitting in fourth place in the conference. Kendall Stover and Jordyn Gates both had big performances last weekend, as Stover totaled 35 kills and Gates had 36 kills, 54 assists, and 46 digs. Rachel Jacquay now leads the team in assists with 443 after having games of 34 assists and a season-high 42 against Findlay.
 
On Friday night, GVSU will take on Michigan Tech, whom the swept earlier in the season up in Houghton. The Huskies are right behind Grand Valley in the standings at 14-7 overall and 6-5 in conference. The Huskies have been playing well of late, winning five of their past six GLIAC matches, and went 2-1 last weekend in Hammond. MTU is led offensively by Jillian Kuizenga's 214 kills and Lina Espejo-Ramirez's 609 assists. Defensive specialist Carissa Beyer's 348 digs ranks third in the GLIAC.
 
To cap off Homecoming weekend, the Lakers will face off against Northern Michigan in a rematch of the GLIAC opener for both squads. The Wildcats came out with the win that day, beating the Lakers 3-0. NMU is third in the conference standings, one game ahead of GVSU, as they are 16-6 overall and 8-3 in the GLIAC. The Wildcats are paced by Jacqueline Smith, whose 381 kills rank second in the conference. Setter Lauren Van Remortel's 750 assists are good for third in the conference, while Alli Yacko's 346 digs put her fifth in all of the GLIAC. The Wildcats are the worst blocking team in the conference, only recording 91 this season, and they come in scuffling a little bit, as they have lost four of their past seven matches.
 
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Live stats and live video will be available for this weekend's games. For full coverage of the game, including live in-game updates, follow @GVSUVOLLEY on Twitter and visit gvsulakers.com.