Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

ALLENDALE, Mich. -- Wayne State University Volleyball (1-1) opened the GVSU Laker Classic with a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Eckerd (1-0) this afternoon but bounced back with a 3-0 sweep over Adelphi (0-2).

Match One (L, 0-3)
The Tritons took set one 25-18, set two 25-15 and WSU dropped a hard-fought deciding set 25-22.

Eckerd, a member of the the Sunshine State Conference, were paced in the opening set by a balanced attack and sprinted out to an 11-3 advantage. The Warriors were able tie the set at 16-16 following two Triton errors and kills by Kristen Bulkiewicz (LaSalle, Ont. / Sandwich) and Kelsey Bonewits (Griffith, Ind.). Three straight Eckerd points forced Head Coach Phil Nickel to call a timeout. Madison Reeves (Indianapolis, Ind. / Avon) responded with a kill but the Tritons would take six of the next seven points to secure a 25-18 victory.

WSU took a 6-5 lead in the second set on a Bulkiewicz service ace. Eckerd notched six straight points to force a Warrior timeout with Eckerd leading 11-6. The Warriors took four of the next five points to cut the Tritons' lead to 12-10. Eckerd took the next six points before cruising to a 25-15 set two victory.

The Green & Gold took an early 4-2 lead in set three before Eckerd collected five straight points to lead 7-4, forcing a WSU timeout. WSU would lead at several stages during the final set (12-10, 16-13, 19-16 and 21-20) before faltering down the stretch as the Tritons completed the sweep with a 25-22 victory.

Leading the Warriors was Bulkiewicz who finished with 12 kills and eight digs. Essence Jackson-Jones (Muskegon, Mich.) finished with six kills on nine attempts to lead WSU with .444 hitting percentage. Reeves finished with 27 of the team's 34 assists, which is a career-high. Carlee Hunt (Waterford, Mich. / Walled Lake Northern) led the defensive effort with 13 digs while Reeves and Jackson-Jones combined for nine block assists.

Lindsay Biggs led Eckerd with 11 kills.

Match Two (W, 3-0)
The Warriors were too much for the Panthers of Adelphi on Friday evening. Wayne State took set one 25-16, set two 25-12 and completed the sweep with a 25-15 victory.

WSU and Adelphi traded punches for the early part of the opening set and the Warriors held onto a 9-7 lead following a Panther ace. The Green & Gold went on runs of five and eight points to extend its lead to 21-10. In the streak of eight consecutive points Candice Ottey (Ajax, Ont.) collected four kills and she finished set one with seven kills. Bulkiewicz delivered a set one victory with a kill with an assist from Reeves to make the final score 25-16.

The momentum continued for the Warriors as they jumped out to a 14-4 lead to begin the second set. Following a Panther timeout, WSU took six of the next nine points to extend its lead to 20-7. Reeves assisted Ottey on a kill to give the Warriors a convincing 25-12 victory and a 2-0 advantage in the match.

An early 9-4 lead added to the growing Warrior confidence. A Heather Weiss (Fort Gratiot, Mich. / Port Huron) kill gave WSU a 22-13 lead before two attack errors and a Bulkiewicz kill sealed a 25-15 win and a 3-0 sweep for the Warriors.

Ottey led the way with 13 kills on 21 attempts for a .571 hitting percentage. Reeves topped her previous career-high, which was set in the first match of the day, with 31 assists. Bulkiewicz added eight kills along with 10 digs  and while playing close to home, Macy Steenhuysen (Grand Rapids, Mich. / East Kentwood), also contributed 10 digs. As a team WSU, hit .295 (38-for-88).

The Warriors will face sixth-ranked Southwest Minnesota State tomorrow at 10 a.m. before concluding the tournament against Saint Leo at 2 p.m.