Aug. 30, 2008

Box Score

Grand Valley State bounced back from a tough 3-0 loss to #3 Truman State on Friday night to win a thrilling five-set match against North Alabama on Saturday afternoon at the Missouri S&T "Middle of Everywhere" Classic in Rolla, Mo. The #6 Lakers held off the Lions, 3-2 (25-17, 25-16, 26-28, 15-25, 15-13) in a 1-hour, 59-minute battle.

With the victory, GVSU improves to 2-1, while UNA falls to 1-2. The two programs have both garnered national attention over the past few years. In 2006, North Alabama was the national runner-up at the NCAA Championships, while Grand Valley State has made the NCAA Elite Eight in six of the past eight seasons.

After trailing early in the opening set, GVSU bounced back to take a 12-9 lead. North Alabama scored the next three points to tie the set at 12-12. The Lakers responded with a 7-1 run, including a pair of kills from senior middle blocker Danielle Alexander and forced four Lion attack errors. Leading 19-13, Grand Valley State closed the set by scoring six of the final 10 points.

North Alabama was forced into a -.043 hitting percentage by the Laker defense, while GVSU hit just .111 in the opening set. Both teams had nine kills, but UNA committed 11 errors while the Lakers had just five miscues.

Grand Valley State jumped to a 10-5 lead in the second set, eventually pushing the advantage to 15-9. The teams traded points back and forth, but a 4-1 run closed out the set and put GVSU on top, 2-0, in the match. It was the best offensive performance of the season for the Lakers, as they used 17 kills and just two errors for a stellar .429 hitting percentage. North Alabama connected at a .118 clip.

The Lions opened up the third set with a 5-1 lead, but the teams would be tied at 10-10 after a kill from senior setter Jamie Ashmore. GVSU took the lead at 12-10, yet the teams again were tied at 15-15. Strong serving from senior Lauren Reber put the Lakers ahead, 19-15, until UNA rallied to tie the set at 20-20. Somehow the teams would have a tie score four more times in the set (11 times in the entire set) and a Lion service ace ended the set, 28-26.

After its best offensive set, GVSU totaled 14 kills and 10 errors for a .098 attack percentage in the third set, while North Alabama did not fare much better with 13 kills, seven errors, and a .150 mark.

The fourth set was tied at 9-9 before UNA put together an 8-2 run to lead 17-11. Grand Valley State was unable to mount a comeback, as the Lions scored eight of the final 12 points to tie the match at 2-2. North Alabama connected at a .359 clip in the fourth set with an 18-kill, four-error performance. GVSU hit .125 with 10 kills and six errors.

In the pivotal fifth set, UNA jumped ahead 3-0 and led 7-3 before a Laker timeout. Grand Valley State put together a nice rally and a service ace from junior Meredith Young tied the set at 10-10. The Lions would score the next two points to lead 12-10 before Alexander responded with a kill to pull GVSU within a point at 12-11. The teams would be tied at 13-13 before GVSU would score the final two points, winning the match on a kill by junior outside hitter Kaity Gormley.

UNA hit better than the Lakers in the fifth set with a .263 hitting percentage, while GVSU connected at a .182 pace. For the match, neither team hit very well. Grand Valley State hit .187 and North Alabama managed a .151 mark.

Alexander totaled a team-high 16 kills, a match-best three service aces, and five block assists. Gormley added a season-high 12 kills and eight digs. Controlling the offense again was Ashmore, who contributed 42 assists and 12 digs to go along with nine kills. Young tallied 16 digs for the Lakers.

GVSU was 5-3 in five-set matches last year, including a 22-20 heartbreaking loss in the fifth set to West Texas A&M in the NCAA Elite Eight.

The strong competition continues late Saturday afternoon, as the Lakers will meet #17 Pittsburg State at 5:00 p.m. ET.