HAMMOND, IND. – It was an eventful first day at the Midwest Regional Crossover Tournament for the GVSU women's volleyball team, as they swept Northwood to start the day, and had a reverse sweep of Lewis fall just short in the fifth set.
 
The Lakers took care of Northwood by the scores of 25-22, 25-16, and 25-11, to pick up their 15^th win of the season. In set one, GVSU raced out to a 5-0 lead, a lead they would never give up, going up 24-17, and surviving a late Timberwolf run to take the first set. Northwood led early in set two 8-7, but the Lakers used an 8-0 to take control of the set, and they never looked back, extending their set lead to 2-0. In the final set, it was all GVSU, as they dominated from the start and cruised to the sweep.
 
Meghan O'Sullivan led a balanced offensive attack with nine kills, while Sarah Wight had eight kills and seven total blocks. Jordyn Gates had six kills, 16 assists, and nine digs, with her sister Madison Gates tallying 10 digs in the win. As a team, the Lakers had 10 blocks and held the Timberwolves offense to a -.056 hitting percentage.
 
In the second game of the day, GVSU faced their toughest opponent of the season in the 15^th ranked Lewis Flyers. The Flyers showed why they were one of the best teams in the nation in set one, dominating the Lakers to win 25-13. The Lakers made it more interesting in the second set, but still fell 25-20. Their fight continued in the third set, as they battled back from a 9-4 deficit with a 9-1 run to take the lead. Lewis came back to tie the game at 17, but GVSU again used a big run, this time an 8-2 run to win 25-19. Set four was a back-and-forth affair between the two teams, with neither one able to go on much of a run. GVSU was eventually able to put together a few consecutive points late to come away with a 25-23 win and force a fifth set. Lewis jumped out a 6-2 lead in the final set, forcing a GVSU timeout to regroup. The break helped the Lakers, as they responded with six straight points to take the lead at 8-6 as the two teams switched sides. They pushed their lead up to 13-10, but the Flyers battled back to tie it at 13 apiece. The Lakers held off five match point opportunities from the Flyers, and missed a chance of their own leading 20-19, and Lewis scored the final three points of the match to win 22-20.
 
Jordyn Gates put together a massive performance, tallying 21 kills, 27 assists, and 15 digs. Kendall Stover added a double-double with 13 kills and 15 digs, while Sarah Wight added 12 kills, four blocks, and three aces. Rachel Jacquay dished out 29 assists, while Madison Gates had 17 digs and Julia Blaney added 16 more.
 
Up Next
The Lakers will close out play in the Crossover tomorrow, with their opponent and time still to be determined.