Grand Valley State got off to a great - albeit wild - start at the Vulcan Invitational in California, Pa. on Friday afternoon (Sept. 9), as the Lakers held on for a 3-2 victory over Adelphi. In the first of four GVSU matches this weekend, Grand Valley State won the opening two sets before Adelphi took sets three and four. The Lakers finished off the Panthers with a 9-2 run to close out the five-set match.
 
The final line score showed a lopsided first set followed by three closer sets (including a wild third stanza) and ended with another uneven fifth set score. GVSU pulled off the five-set win by scores of 25-12, 25-19, 30-32, 20-25, and 15-6. It was the team's first five-set victory of the season; last year, Grand Valley State was 3-4 in five-set matches.
 
With the victory, GVSU improves to 2-3 on the year and puts a good start to the Lakers' weekend. Grand Valley State will take on Davis and Elkins at 3:00 p.m. on Friday before taking on the host school - California (PA) - and Winston-Salem State on Saturday.
 
Adelphi - East Region semifinalists last season - starts the year with a 1-4 mark. In 2015, the Panthers finished 27-5.
 
While the final score shows a slim 3-2 win, some offensive numbers were clearly in GVSU's favor, including kills (73-53), assists (68-49), and hitting percentage (.274 to .134). The Lakers also led in digs (88-79), total blocks (7-4), and service aces (7-6).
 
Friday's match saw 19 tie scores (11 in the back-and-forth third set) and 11 more lead changes, while lasting one hour and 58 minutes. It was the first match of the weekend for both schools.
 
Four Lakers posted double-digits in kills, led by sophomore Staci Brower and freshman Jayci Suseland. Each player tallied season-highs of 17 kills, while Suseland hit .424 on 33 attempts and Brower attacked at a .368 clip on 38 swings. Brower notched two solo blocks, while each player supplied two block assists as well.
 
Sophomore Brooke Smith and freshman Kendall Yerkes each recorded a double-double in kills and digs. Smith picked up 20 digs and added 10 kills, while Yerkes totaled 13 digs and 12 kills for her fourth consecutive double-double. A third Laker - junior Katie Olson - delivered 41 assists and picked up 15 digs - to join the double-double club. Olson also put down five kills in only 11 attempts.
 
The Lakers scored the first three points of set one (including kills from Suseland and sophomore Shannon Winicki) and barely looked back. A kill and an ace from Olson was followed by a Smith kill to put GVSU ahead 12-6. Another Olson kill, a service ace from senior Amanda Glaza, and a Brower putaway extended the Laker lead to 19-9. Suseland would finish the set with a pair of kills to give GVSU the 25-12 victory.
 
Set two was close at 16-14 after a Panther kill, but the Lakers then made a crucial 5-0 run to open a 21-14 advantage. Suseland and Yerkes smashed consecutive kills, while sophomore Taylor Stewart served an ace in between a pair of Adelphi hitting errors. Leading 21-14, GVSU was able to take a 2-0 lead in the match by closing the frame at 25-19.
 
Adelphi battled back by winning a wild set three that was tied 11 times and had four lead changes. The Lakers were out to a 12-7 lead before the Panthers rallied to tie the score at 15-15. GVSU then scored three straight points (the last on a Brower-Winicki block) before Adelphi answered with three points in a row. Again, the Lakers notched a 3-0 run to lead 21-18, but the Panthers managed to tie the score at 24-24 with GVSU serving for match point. The stanza would be tied again at points 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, and 30 before two Laker errors gave Adelphi the 32-30 win.
 
Grand Valley State last played in a set with both teams scoring in the 30's almost exactly one year ago - on Sept. 11, 2015 against MSU-Moorhead. The Lakers dropped that set 33-31 before falling in the five-setter, 3-2.
 
On Friday, GVSU answered in set four by taking a 6-2 lead. Suseland notched two kills and combined with sophomore Jillian Butsavich on a block, while Yerkes tallied two kills during the opening run. The lead grew to 11-5 on back-to-back Brower kills and another kill from the setter Olson. Adelphi, however, went on an 11-2 surge to move ahead 16-13. Grand Valley State would get no closer than two points the rest of the way, forcing the pivotal fifth set.
 
GVSU jumped ahead in set five by a 5-2 score thanks to kills from Suseland, Smith, Yerkes, and Brower. The lead was 6-4 before the Lakers notched five consecutive points to really take control at 11-4. During the 5-0 run, Brower posted two kills and a solo rejection, while Smith added a kill of her own. Another Brower kill swelled the lead to 12-5 and the Lakers captured the win at 15-6 on a kill from Stewart to Smith.
 
Stewart supplied 14 assists off the bench. Freshman libero Sydney Benchley posted a team-high 21 digs, added seven assists, and served two of the team's seven aces. Yerkes also served up a pair of aces. Butsavich notched four kills in 10 swings and supplied three block assists. Winicki provided five kills and two blocks.