ALLENDALE, MICH. – The fifteenth ranked GVSU volleyball team takes a break from GLIAC play this weekend to take part in the Midwest Region Crossover Tournament in Hammond, Indiana. The Lakers will play two games on Friday, against Walsh and Lewis, then another on Saturday versus a to be determined opponent.
 
Walsh: Live Stats | Video | 10:00 am
Lewis: Live Stats | Video | 3:00 pm
 
GVSU is on a seven-game winning streak entering the weekend, following their victories over Parkside and Purdue Northwest last weekend. At 15-1, the Lakers are off to the fourth-best start in program history, and a 3-0 weekend would tie the 2006 squad with an 18-1 start, the best in the program's history. They took down both Parkside and PNW on the road in four sets to move to 7-1 in conference play. Brianna Stawski earned her first GLIAC Offensive Player of the Week, as she totaled 23 kills on a .377 hitting percentage, while adding 11 total blocks.
 
In the early game on Friday, GVSU will take on Walsh. The Cavaliers are 11-6 this season and 5-2 in GMAC play, entering in second place in the east division. They have been playing well lately, winning seven of their past eight matches, with the only loss in that span coming to division leader Ashland. Sammie DiBease has been a force offensively, totaling 257 kills, good for 4.28 kills per set. Feeding her the ball is setter Jayme Zoeckler, who has 477 assists and 139 digs. The Cavaliers are one of the best blocking teams in the region, recording 2.27 blocks per set, which would rank sixth in the entire region. GVSU has not played Walsh since 2018, but they have won the prior six matchups between the two teams.
 
For the third straight year, the Lakers will take on the Flyers in the Crossover, looking to get some revenge for the past two matchups. The Flyers won the 2022 matchup in straight sets, and the 2023 one in five sets. Last season, the Flyers took the first two sets, before GVSU battled back to force a fifth set. That final set took extra points, but Lewis pulled it out 22-20. Jordyn Gates had a monster game, tallying 21 kills, 27 assists, and 15 digs. Kendall Stover added 13 kills in the game and Julia Blaney had 16 digs.
 
This year's Lewis team has gotten out to a 12-6 start, going 5-1 in GLVC play, sitting in second place in the conference. Their lone league loss came last week at UMSL in four sets, but before that loss, they had won five straight matches. The Flyers have three players with over 170 kills, with Natalie Stefanski totaling 183, Bella Ray with 180, and Hannah Alvey recording 174. They split setting duties between Lily King and Rachel Kaczorowski, both of whom have over 280 assists. Defensively, they have 169 blocks, totaling 2.49 per set, led by Ray's 87 blocks.
 
How to Follow
All games will be available to stream on JedTV, but there is a subscription required. The games will also have live stats as well to follow along with. For full coverage of the game, including live in-game updates, follow @GVSUVOLLEY on Twitter and visit gvsulakers.com.