ALLENDALE, MICH. – The Grand Valley State women's volleyball team closes out the regular season this weekend, traveling to Purdue Northwest, then they host Saginaw Valley State on Sunday.
 
PNW: Live Stats | Video | Saturday | 3:00 PM EST
SVSU: Live Stats | Video | Tickets | Sunday | 1:00 PM EST
 
Last weekend, the Lakers had a successful road trip, traveling up to Northern Michigan and Michigan Tech, and coming away with two victories. GVSU swept NMU, then defeated Tech in four sets to move to 20-6 overall, and 12-2 in the league.
 
Gabby Orlet and Lexi Armstrong both earned GLIAC Player of the Week honors following the two wins. Orlet, the Setter of the Week, totaled 91 assists, 20 digs, and six service aces, and helped lead a Laker offense that hit .315 on the weekend. On the backline, Armstrong recorded 34 digs and a was a perfect 19-19 on serve receive, to earned Defensive Player of the Week accolades.
 
The Lakers were ranked 21^st in the national poll and fourth in the region. They are locked into the two-seed in next week's GLIAC Tournament and are set to host a quarterfinal match on Wednesday.
 
About the Lions
Purdue Northwest is 6-18 this season, and 3-11 in conference play. They will not qualify for the GLIAC Tournament for the first time since 2022. The Lions will take on Wayne State Friday, then conclude their regular season against the Lakers Saturday afternoon.
 
Head coach Sean Douglas is in his fifth season in Hammond, compiling a record of 50-82 with the Lions.
 
This season, the Lions have struggled defensively, allowing the best opponent hitting percentage and the most kills per set in the league. On the offensive side, Anika Huelskamp leads the way with 236 kills, the only Lion with over 160 kills this year.
 
About Saginaw Valley State
The Cardinals are fighting for GLIAC Tournament seeding this weekend. Currently the three-seed at 9-5, SVSU is one of five teams currently between 7-7 and 9-5. At 17-9 overall, Saginaw is 11th in the regional rankings, with only eight teams making the tournament.
 
SVSU is one of the better blocking teams in the GLIAC, ranking second with over two blocks per set. This has helped them hold opponents to .170 hitting percentage. Marissa Roe leads the conference with 1.07 blocks per set. Offensively, Rachel Townsend has totaled 311 kills, fifth in the conference. Setter Taylor Smith has dished out over 800 assists, while two Cardinals have over 300 digs from the backline.
 
In their meeting earlier this year over in Saginaw, GVSU took the match in five sets. The Lakers overcame a 2-1 deficit in the match to come back and win. Kennedy Arp had 17 kills to lead the Laker offense, with Finley Arp adding 15. Paige Sanders recorded 14 kills and Gabby Orlet dished out 55 assists.
 
How to Follow
Both games this weekend will be available to follow along with via live stats or live stream through FloSports. For full coverage, follow along on social media @gvsuvolley and online at GVSUlakers.com.