ALLENDALE, MICH. – The Grand Valley State women's volleyball team begins their home slate this weekend, hosting the Hampton Inn and Suites Grand Rapids Downtown Classic. The Lakers take on Central Missouri and Wheeling on Friday, then close out the tournament with a matchup against Hillsdale on Saturday.
Tournament Central
Central Missouri: Live Stats |
Video |
Tickets | Friday | 1:00
Wheeling: Live Stats |
Video |
Tickets | Friday | 7:00
Hillsdale: Live Stats |
Video |
Tickets | Saturday | 3:00
The Lakers went 3-1 in their opening weekend, sweeping Valdosta State, then beating Colorado Christian and South Dakota Mines in four sets. They fell to Colorado Mines in five sets to close out the tournament.
Meghan O'Sullivan was named Tournament MVP, posting 84 assists, 45 kills, 34 digs, and 14 total blocks.
Brianna Stawski and
Kendall Stover were both named to the All-Tournament team as well. Stawski hit .394, tallying 49 kills and 20 total blocks, while Stover had 37 kills and 54 digs. The three wins helped the Lakers move up one spot in the AVCA rankings, now sitting in 13
th.
In the early game on Friday, the Lakers will face off against Central Missouri in their first match of the tournament. The Jennies went 2-1 last week, defeating Roosevelt and Illinois-Springfield, before falling to Quincy at the UIS Tournament. Across the three games, UCM held their opponents to a .112 hitting percentage, totaling 2.3 blocks per set. Offensively, Emma Siron, Maya Ferguson, and Rachel Ziesman all tallied 20 or more kills, each hitting .260 or better. Setting them up was Kayla Baer, who had 86 assists, while Grace Winklemann held down the back line with 46 digs.
Closing out the day Friday, will be GVSU hosting Wheeling. The Cardinals had a rough start to the year down in the Sunshine State, going winless at the West Florida Invitational. They fell to Northern Michigan, West Florida, Spring Hill, and Southwest Minnesota State. Cami Block had a strong weekend, posting a team-high 47 kills, getting double-digits in three of the four games. Three other Cardinals recorded over 20 kills. Wheeling splits setting duties between Faith Keifer and Lexi Duplessis, each of whom have over 50 assists. On the defensive side, the Cardinals allowed a .307 hitting percentage, totaling less than one block per set. In her 24
th year at Wheeling, head coach Christy Benner has helped lead the Cardinals to seven regional championships, two Final Fours, and one National Championship back in 2015.
Saturday features a massive Midwest Region matchup between the Lakers and Hillsdale. The Chargers have been a mainstay in the NCAA Tournament, making the regionals in seven consecutive seasons. The perennial GMAC powers opened the year going 1-2 at the FSC Volleyball Classic, defeating Anderson, and losing to Augusta and Florida Southern. The Chargers had a balanced offensive attack, with five attackers tallying over 20 kills, led by Jenna Southland's 38 from her middle hitter position. Josie TeSlaa dished out 96 assists at setter, and four Chargers posted over 30 digs. At the net, Southland and Adi Sysum each recorded 12 blocks to help hold their opponents to a .174 hitting percentage. Despite both being contenders in the Midwest Region, GVSU and Hillsdale have not matched up since 2022, when the Lakers beat them in five sets at the Crossover Tournament.
How to Follow
All games are available to follow along with via live stats or live stream on FloSports. For full coverage of the game, including live in-game updates, follow @GVSUVOLLEY on Twitter and visit gvsulakers.com.
