ALLENDALE, MICH. – The GVSU women's volleyball team is back in the NCAA Tournament for the second straight year, taking on Quincy in the quarterfinal round Thursday afternoon. The second-seeded Lakers and seventh-ranked Hawks match up tomorrow at 1:30 PM up in Big Rapids.
 
Live Stats | Video | Tickets | 1:30 PM
 
These two teams matched up last year in the regional quarterfinals, with the Lakers taking the match in a clean sweep. GVSU dominated the match, winning 25-8, 25-10, and 25-12. The Lakers hit .310 and held the Hawks to -.082, recording 12 total blocks. Jordyn Gates led the way with 10 kills, 11 assists, and 12 digs, with both Kendall Stover and Kate Goudreau adding seven kills.
 
The Lakers are 27-3 so far this season, the most wins in a season since 2014. GVSU fell in the GLIAC Tournament championship match, earning the two seed in the region. Brianna Stawski and Kendall Stover were both named to the All-Tournament team following the conclusion of the championship game. Four Lakers have over 200 kills this season, led by Stover's 244. Gates, Meghan O'Sullivan, and Stawski have all also reached 200 kills. GVSU is third nationally with 2.77 blocks per set, with Stawski, Sanders, and Kennedy Arp all averaging over one block per set. This is the third time in the last four seasons that the Lakers have reached the regional stage, advancing to the semifinals last season.
 
Quincy won the GLVC regular season crown, going 11-2 in league play, falling in the conference tournament semifinals to Rockhurst in five sets. The Hawks were 25-5 overall, starting the season 17-1, but went 7-4 over their final 11 matches. They are led by GLVC Player of the Year Emma Wijnbergen, who has 594 kills this year, ranking second nationally in points per set (5.93) and third nationally in kills per set (5.26). Alongside her offensively is outside hitter Susanna Beretti, who tallied 463 kills. Directing to offense is freshman setter Elena Kasavica, who has dished out 1,346 assists this season, and her 11.91 assists per set ranks fourth in the country.
 
How to Follow
Thursday's match, and all subsequent rounds, will be streamed on FloSports and you can also follow along with the live stats.  For full coverage of the game, including live in-game updates, follow @GVSUVOLLEY on Twitter and visit gvsulakers.com.