ALLENDALE, MICH. – The Grand Valley State women's lacrosse team gets set to play in their fifth consecutive NCAA Tournament, taking on Ashland in the opening round. The Lakers and Eagles will meet Thursday afternoon on the campus on the University of Indianapolis.
 
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Grand Valley State enters the NCAA Tournament winners of 12 straight games. They took home the GLIAC Tournament title with a 12-9 victory over Northern Michigan on Sunday. GVSU is in the tournament for the fifth consecutive year and the sixth time in program history. In their time, they have posted a record of 4-5, winning one regional crown. They earned the four seed in the region, taking on fifth-seeded Ashland. The winner of the game will play top seed UIndy on Saturday afternoon.
 
In their win over Northern Michigan in the GLIAC Championship, the Lakers overcame an 8-5 deficit at the half, to win by three. Ella Boose tallied six goals to lead the offense, with Indira Marker and Kendra Swope each scoring twice. Sarah Krause made eight saves, while Tatumn Nyen and Karleigh Rothe each caused two. Boose, Krause, Rothe, Swope, and Quinn McElroy were all named to the GLIAC All-Tournament team.
 
These two teams met up earlier this season, in the Lakers' first home game of the year. Ashland led 10-5 at the half, before a strong third quarter from GVSU brought them within one at 11-10. The Eagles would respond with a dominant fourth quarter, outscoring GVSU 8-1 to win 19-11. Delaney Smith tallied a hat trick, while Gracie Bancroft and Leah Leonard each scored twice. Ashland had five players register a hat trick, and they dominated draw controls 22-10.
 
Ashland has also been one of the hottest teams in the country, winners of 12 straight games, rolling through the GMAC regular season and conference tournament. They have scored at least 16 goals in all 12 games during their streak, including seven games over 20. The Eagles have the sixth best scoring offense in the nation, averaging over 17 scores a game, and they pair that with the 11^th best scoring defense, which allows less than eight goals a contest. GMAC Attacker of the Year Rachel Crumbacher has totaled 90 points on the season, scoring 60 goals and distributing 30 assists. Three other Eagles have recorded over 70 points alongside her. In the cage, Goalkeeper of the Year Annie Duncan has played in all 19 contests, totaling 106 saves and a .469 save percentage. Ashland is one of the best draw teams in the country, ranking second nationally garnering over 17 a game, as well as winning over 67% of all draw controls, which is fifth in the country. This will mark the seventh ever meeting between GVSU and Ashland, with the Lakers leading the series 5-1.