ALLENDALE, MICH. – It is the last regular season weekend for the GVSU women's volleyball team, and they close with the two home contests. The Lakers enter the weekend with a chance to clinch the GLIAC regular season title with a sweep of the weekend. GVSU will take on Parkside Friday night, followed by a matchup against Purdue Northwest Saturday afternoon.
 
PNW: Live Stats | Video | 6:00
Parkside: Live Stats | Video | 4:00
 
Before Friday's game, the Lakers will celebrate Senior Day, as they honor Madison Gates, Sarah Wight, Rachel Jacquay, Isabella Kandes, and Carley Baughman. These five players have been a part of 83 victories and one trip to the NCAA Tournament.
 
GVSU beat both teams in the first matchup earlier this year, sweeping Parkside, then taking down Purdue Northwest in five sets. Over those two games, Jordyn Gates had 35 kills, 46 assists, and 19 digs. Kendall Stover had 21 kills, and Wight added 18 kills. The Lakers have won seven straight against the Rangers and 13 consecutive matches versus the Pride.
 
The Lakers enter the final weekend of play with a 22-3 record, going 14-2 in GLIAC play, as they are tied atop the conference with Ferris State, but they currently hold the tiebreaker over the Bulldogs. Grand Valley has won seven of their past eight matches, including five straight, and Wight has played a big part in that. She was just named GLIAC Defensive Player of the Week, as she had 16 blocks, 34 kills, and 11 digs last week, as the Lakers went 3-0. She has helped the Lakers have the fifth best opponent hitting percentage in the nation, holding them to just .117 on the season. GVSU has already clinched home court in next Wednesday's GLIAC Quarterfinal matchup, and they have a chance to clinch home court for the entire tournament with two wins.
 
In the first matchup of the weekend, GVSU will face off against Purdue Northwest, who is 12-15 and 7-9 in league play, and sit in sixth place in the conference. The Pride have lost two of three, but they have still secured a spot in the GLIAC Tournament. PNW is led offensively by Arra Cottrell (290 kills) and Anika Huelskamp (254 kills), while Marina Gronkiewicz directs the offense with 558 assists. Away from Hammond, the Pride are just 2-5 on the road coming into the final weekend of regular season play.
 
Rounding out the regular season will be a matchup with Parkside, who enters the weekend having secured home court for the quarterfinal round already. The Rangers are 17-10 overall and 11-5 in league play. Parkside has also won seven of their past eight matches and climbed into third place in the league standings. Attacker Ava Irvin leads the GLIAC with 367 kills and setter Karlee Lois is fifth with 948 assists. The Rangers have struggled on the road, going only 4-4 in road contests.
 
How to Follow
Both games this weekend will have live stats and live video. For full coverage of the game, including live in-game updates, follow @GVSUVOLLEY on Twitter and visit gvsulakers.com.