ALLENDALE, MICH. – The Grand Valley women's basketball team will open the 2023 portion of their schedule with a return to GLIAC play this weekend, as they travel to Parkside tomorrow evening, then continue the road trip with a game against Purdue-Northwest Saturday afternoon.
 
Grand Valley is coming off their first loss the season on New Year's Eve to Lewis, as they dropped to 12-1 and down to #4 in the WBCA poll. Since Mike Williams took over as head coach in the 2015-16 season, the Lakers have lost consecutive games only three times, a number they look to maintain against Parkside. Last week saw Rylie Bisballe return to the court, and she provided a spark off the bench, averaging 10.5 points and 8.5 rebounds over two games last week. Six players were able to get into double figures in the two games last week, as Emily Spitzley, Bisballe, Paige Vanstee, and Megan Crow got it against Grace Christian, while Abrie Cabana and Hannah Kulas were each in double digits versus Lewis. GVSU comes into the weekend atop the GLIAC standings at 3-0, with Michigan Tech, Northern Michigan, and Parkside all right behind them at 3-1.
 
The Lakers travel to Wisconsin to open the weekend against Parkside. The Rangers are 7-6 this season, but 3-1 in conference play, with wins over Michigan Tech, SVSU, and Wayne State. Parkside is led by the reigning GLIAC Player of the Year in Alyssa Nelson. The senior guard is averaging 21 points per game on 46.2% shooting from the field and 42.7% from three. She has scored in double-digits in all but one game for the Rangers this season, topping out with 38 points in a win over Rockhurst. Paty Gallasova is the only other player to average double digits, as she is scoring 11.5 a game. The Rangers are one of the best three-point shooting teams, as they are eighth nationally, making 9.5 triples per game. This game will be the 21^st all-time meeting between the two programs, with GVSU leading 16-4, including sweeping the Rangers last season.
 
In the weekend finale, the Lakers are in Hammond, Indiana to play a 4-10 Purdue Northwest team. The Pride are at the bottom of the conference standings at 0-4 in league play. PNW was selected to finish eighth in the preseason poll, and guard Dash Shaw was picked for the GLIAC preseason second team. Shaw is the fourth leading scorer in the conference at 17.6 points per game, while Tadrianna Heard is sixth with 16.5 points. The Pride shoot 44.7% from the field, but struggle beyond the arc, shooting only 29.7% from three. This will be the ninth matchup between these two programs, as GVSU is a perfect 8-0 thus far.
 
Tomorrow's game will be available to follow through live stream, live audio, or live stats. For full coverage of the game, including live in-game updates, follow @gvsuwbb on Twitter and visit gvsulakers.com.