BIG RAPIDS, MICH. – The GVSU women's volleyball team began the NCAA Tournament with a rematch of last year's quarterfinal matchup, taking on Quincy. While they didn't sweep the Hawks like last season, the Lakers still came out on top, winning a thrilling five-set game.
GVSU took the opening set 25-18, but they dropped the next two 20-25 and 23-25. They responded with a big fourth set win, taking it 25-14, then wrapped it up with a 15-11 fifth set victory. The Lakers took their first lead of the opening match at 5-4 and never let it up. The Hawks got as close as two points at 16-14, but GVSU closed on a 9-4 run to take the first set.
In set two, it was Quincy getting an early lead and not giving it up. They got up 7-4, and despite the Lakers getting within one point multiple times, GVSU couldn't get a big run, falling in the second set. The third set saw the Lakers use a 6-0 run and a 5-0 run to take a commanding 19-9 lead. Quincy battled back with a 12-1 run to take a 21-20 lead. After GVSU scored two straight, the Hawks responded with a 4-1 run to end the game and take a 2-1 lead.
The Lakers dominated the fourth set, getting up 6-0 early on and never looking back. Quincy made it 10-8, but the Lakers went on a 6-1 run to build a seven-point lead. They cruised to the win from there, never letting Quincy into the fourth set. In the fifth set, GVSU led 8-6 when the two teams switched sides. The eighth point started a 4-0 run that put the Lakers up 11-6. The Hawks came back to make it 12-10, but the Lakers scored three of the final four points to put the game away and advance to Friday's semifinals.
Four Lakers had double-digit kills, led by
Brianna Stawski's 14.
Paige Sanders had 13 kills on a .444 hitting percentage, while
Meghan O'Sullivan added 12 kills.
Kendall Stover had 12 kills and 12 digs and
Jordyn Gates tallied a career-high 48 assists, 13 digs, and eight kills.
Julia Blaney totaled 11 digs and Oliva Behen had 10. The Lakers had 17 total blocks and swung at a .344 clip.
The Lakers take on Findlay tomorrow in the Regional semifinals. First serve is scheduled for 4:00.
