March 8, 2009

Allendale, Mich. - Grand Valley State learned on Sunday night (Mar. 8) that it advanced to the Midwest Regional Tournament for the ninth time in school history. The Lakers (20-9 overall) will travel to Highland Heights, Ky. and take on the top-seeded Northern Kentucky Norse on Friday (Mar. 13) at 6 p.m.

GVSU lost in the semifinals of the GLIAC Tournament on Friday night (Mar. 3) to eventual champion, Hillsdale. But the strong season of play, including a 12-game win streak midway through the season, pushed the Lakers into the tournament field under the direction of second-year head coach Janel Burgess. Northern Kentucky, the defending Division II National Champions, holds a slim 6-5 lead in the all-time series against Grand Valley State. However, the last time the two teams met, on Dec. 29, 2007, the Lakers upended NKU 66-55 in Allendale, Mich.

Here is the schedule for the Midwest Region Tournament:

Friday, March 13

Game 1: #3 Quincy (26-4) vs. #6 Drury (19-9), 12 p.m.

Game 2: #2 Hillsdale (27-3) vs. #7 Indianapolis (22-9), 2:30 p.m.

Game 3: #1 Northern Kentucky (28-2) vs. #8 Grand Valley State (20-9), 6 p.m.

Game 4: #4 Michigan Tech (24-6) vs. #5 Northwood (21-7), 8:30 p.m.

Saturday, March 14

Semifinal 1: Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner, 6 p.m.

Semifinal 2: Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner, 8:30 p.m.

Monday, March 16

Semifinal 1 winner vs. Semifinal 2 winner, 7 p.m.