Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 ERIE, PA – The season could not have gotten off to a much better start for the GVSU women's volleyball team. Playing two games to open the Gannon/Mercyhurst Invite, the Lakers swept both Notre Dame College and Mercyhurst in three straight sets each.
 
"I was happy with our team's commitment to getting better throughout the two matches," head coach Jason Johnson said. "Our players did an amazing job of bringing a consistent energy both on the court and from the bench."
 
The Lakers swept Notre Dame 25-10, 25-13, and 25-19. GVSU started out strong in the first set, jumping out to a quick 6-0 advantage and never looked back from there, as they cruised to win the first set. The Falcons responded back in the second set, as they were the ones jumping out to the early lead, as they led 5-0 to open the set. Grand Valley battled back and eventually tied the game at 14 apiece. The two teams traded points, but three separate 3-0 GV runs put the game away. The third set was another back-and-forth affair, as neither team could get much of a run to open the set. Late in the game, the Lakers went on two more runs to open the game up and seal the sweep of the Falcons. GV had a balanced offense in this one, as Sarah Wight and Jaelianna Primus each had eight kills, while Jordyn Gates notched six. Gates and Rachel Jacquay each dished out 14 assists. Defensively, Savannah Thompson had 16 digs and Emily Holbrook tallied 11.
 
In the second game of the day, the Lakers had little trouble getting past host Mercyhurst, winning the three sets 25-14, 25-13, and 25-14. In all three games, the Lakers were able to get out to early starts and keep their foot on the gas as the games went on to put them out of reach for Mercyhurst. Gates had a monster game against the invite hosts, tallying eight kills, 14 assists, and 24 digs. Primus again was also a force at the net, recording 11 kills on a .476 hitting percentage. Thompson had seven kills of her own and Jacquay chalked up 17 assists.
 
Seven players made their Laker debuts this afternoon, with Holbrook, Kaitlyn Bingham, Kendall Stover, Thompson, Gates, McKenzie Johnson, and Carley Baughman all appearing in their first game for GVSU.
 
"We were able to get a lot of players chances to play and didn't see a drop off in their energy or execution within the match," Johnson stated. "It is a great start to the season, but we have two more tomorrow to get ready for."
 
The Lakers will continue the tournament tomorrow, this time on the campus of Gannon University, where they are slated to take on Malone University at 2pm and host Gannon at 5pm.