March 8, 2005

Allendale, Mich. - #16 Grand Valley State has been selected as the host school for the 2005 NCAA DII Great Lakes Regional it was announced by the NCAA. The Lakers enter the tourney as the number one seed and will open tournament play Friday night at 6 p.m. versus number eight Wisconsin-Parkside. Grand Valley State is making its fifth NCAA DII National Tournament appearance and its first since the 2002-03 season.

Lake Superior State is seeded second and will play Bellarmine at 1 p.m. Friday. Third-seeded Quincy will play number six Lewis at 3 p.m. Following the GVSU-UWP game at six, fourth-seeded Michigan Tech will play fifth-seeded Indianaplis at 8 p.m.

Grand Valley State captured its first-ever GLIAC Tournament title last Saturday with a 77-60 victory over Gannon at the GVSU Fieldhouse Arena. GVSU has 20-of-its-last-21 games, with all 20 wins coming by double digits. In addition, GVSU is 15-0 at home during the 2004-05 campaign.

"We are extremely excited to be hosting the Great Lakes Regional," said third-year head coach Dawn Plitzuweit. "We are one of eight outstanding teams and we will have to play outstanding basketball if we want to advance past the first round," added Plitzuweit.

Junior forward Niki Reams, the 2004-05 GLIAC Player of the Year and the MVP of the GLIAC Tournament, leads Grand Valley State in scoring (18.7), rebounding (9.0) and steals (65). Reams has 13 double-doubles on the year and has scored in double figures in 15 straight games. Sophomore guard Erika Ryskamp is averaging 12.5 points and leads the team in three-pointers made with the fourth-best single-season total of 57. Ryskamp, who is a second-team All-GLIAC performer and was also named to the GLIAC All-Tournament team, was one rebound from recording the second-ever triple-doube in school history with 17 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds versus Gannon in the GLIAC title game. Freshman guard Crystal Zick is averaging 8.9 points and leads the team in assists with 95, while senior guard Janine Guastella averages 8.0 points. Sophomore center Julia Braseth, who was a second-team All-GLIAC honoree and was named to the GLIAC All-Tournament team, is averaging 7.9 points and 6.0 rebounds per game. Braseth averaged 12.0 points and 7.0 rebounds per game in the GLIAC Tournament.

"Our kids are excited and anxious to start playing," said Plitzuweit, who is 60-27 in three years at the helm. "This team has worked extremely hard during the season that hard work earned them the opportunity to play the NCAA Great Lakes Regional at home," she added.

Plitzuweit has guided GVSU to the top two single-season win totals in school history. The Lakers captured a then single-season record 24 wins during her first season (2002-03), but that record fell as GVSU won 25 games this season. Plitzuweit, who owns a 5-1 record in GLIAC Tournament action, has now guided GVSU to a pair of NCAA DII Great Lakes Regional appearances.