ALLENDALE, MICH. – The Grand Valley women's basketball team will play their lone exhibition of the year tomorrow afternoon, as they welcome in reigning Division III National Runner-Up Wisconsin-Whitewater. The matchup is set to begin at 2pm tomorrow afternoon in the Fieldhouse Arena.
 
The Lakers are coming off season in which they went 32-3 and won the GLIAC regular season crown, as well as a trip to the Final Four, and are ranked #1 in the WBCA preseason coaches' poll that came out Tuesday morning. GVSU returns plenty of experience in the eighth year of Mike Williams' tenure in Allendale, as their four leading scorers from a year ago return, in Emily Spitzley (13.4), Ellie Droste (12.2), Rylie Bisballe (11.4), and Hannah Kulas (7.8). Spitzley, Droste, and Bisballe were First-Team All-GLIAC members a season ago, and they are joined by 2021-22 All-GLIAC Defensive team member Hadley Miller as the Lakers ultimately return seven players who averaged 10 or more minutes last season. The top three rebounders return as well for GVSU, as Bisballe (6.5), Courtney Sharland (5.0), and Kulas (4.8) are all back in Allendale. Grand Valley added two true freshman this offseason, and have six players coming off a redshirted season last year.
 
Grand Valley's opponent Friday afternoon is Division III powerhouse Wisconsin-Whitewater. The Warhawks went 28-5 a season ago, and ripped through the NCAA Tournament, making it all the way to the championship game before falling to Hope College 71-58. The Warhawks also are returning plenty of experience, as five of their top eight players return from a year ago, led by leading scorer and D3hoops.com second-team All-American Aleah Grundahl (16.2 ppg). Grundahl is also the leading returning rebounder at 4.7 per game, while Kacie Carollo had 4.6 a year ago, while also leading the team by shooting 35.9% from distance. WWU was voted number one in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference preseason poll, and was number eight in the WBCA preseason poll as they enter the 21st season of head coach Keri Carollo at the helm in Whitewater.
 
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Tomorrow's game will be available to follow via live stats, and tickets are available at the gate as well. This is the only exhibition game of the year for the Lakers who will open up their regular season next Friday, November 11, in St. Louis, Missouri as they take on Missouri-St. Louis at 2pm eastern time.