Playing its second match on opening day of the 2016 season, Grand Valley State dropped a 3-1 decision to #10 Minnesota-Duluth at the Ferris State Invitational in Big Rapids on Friday night (Sept. 2). The Lakers were able to take the third set from the Bulldogs, but dropped the match to one of the top teams in the country, 17-25, 14-25, 28-26, 10-25.

Earlier on Friday, GVSU opened the year with a 3-0 sweep over Minnesota Crookston; the Golden Eagles are the only unranked team the Lakers will play this weekend at the tournament. On Saturday (Sept. 3), Grand Valley State will face #21 Winona State (12:00 p.m.) and #20 Cal State San Bernardino (5:00 p.m.).

With Friday night's loss, the Lakers drop to 1-1, while Minnesota-Duluth is 2-0 on the young season.

UMD held advantages in kills (54-26), assists (50-25), aces (5-3), and digs (82-55). Grand Valley State did own a 7-5 lead in blocks, including a match-best five rejections from sophomore Staci Brower and four blocks from classmate Shannon Winicki. Minnesota-Duluth hit .161, while holding the Lakers to a -.007 attack percentage.

Freshman Kendall Yerkes posted a double-double in just her second collegiate match, leading GVSU with 10 kills and adding 13 digs. Fellow freshman Sydney Benchley added a team-best 18 digs, while junior Katie Olson handed out 18 assists and served two of the team's three aces.

In set one, Minnesota-Duluth scored four consecutive points to turn a slim 12-10 lead (after a Jayci Suseland kill) into a 16-10 advantage. The Lakers used a Yerkes kill to get within 19-14, but the Bulldogs would trade points with GVSU the rest of the way, taking the opening set 25-17.

Sophomore Brooke Smith opened set two with a kill and Suseland teamed with sophomore Jillian Butsavich to put the Lakers ahead 2-0 before UMD scored the next seven points of the stanza. Grand Valley State would battle back from a six-point deficit to make it 13-10 on a kill from Olson. The Lakers would score just four more points the rest of the frame, with Minnesota-Duluth closing the set with a 5-0 run. 

GVSU's best set was the third, as Smith again started things off with a kill, followed by an Olson ace. In a set that saw 10 tie scores and four lead changes, it looked as if Minnesota-Duluth would pull away when it took a 19-14 cushion. The Lakers battled back and forced consecutive UMD hitting errors to tie the score at 20-20. Trailing 25-24 and the Bulldogs serving, Brower put down a kill to keep Grand Valley State alive, knotting the score at 25-all. With the score tied at 26-26, Brower team with Winicki and then Smith for back-to-back blocks to end the set at 28-26 in GVSU's favor.

Minnesota-Duluth came out strong in the fourth set, however, scoring 19 of the frame's first 23 points to take a commanding lead. The Lakers notched a 5-1 run, but UMD would prove too tough in the fourth set, ending the match with a 25-10 win.

Smith and Suseland both added four kills, while Butsavich supplied three kills in nine swings. Sophomore Taylor Stewart notched nine digs.