SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. - The Lake Superior State volleyball program (5-24, 4-14 GLIAC) fell to the Warriors of Wayne State (19-10, 12-6 GLIAC) by a final score of 3-1 on Saturday.
The Lakers would strike quickly in the opening set with a 4-0 run that featured a pair of kills from senior Taylor Fleming (Rogers City, Mich.). The Warriors responded with a 7-0 run of their own to push out ahead, but multiple kills from Emilee McDaniel (Manistique, Mich.) helped her team climb back to within one. Wayne State was able to push back for a 22-18 advantage, but the Lakers answered in force with a 7-0 run to come back and take the first set by a score of 25-22.
The Warriors would go on the attack in the second set with runs of 5-1 and 7-1, and despite four kills from Mariana Velasque (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), Wayne State was able to tie up the match at 1-1 by claiming the second set by a score of 25-11.
Wayne State struck first in the third set, but the Lakers answered with a 3-0 run that featured a service ace from Ally Lasley (Birch Run, Mich.). Both teams would battle for several points as multiple kills from Valeriya Varnakova (Ufa, Russia) kept the Lakers within one. The Warriors were able to go back up by four, but two more kills from Varnakova propelled her team to a 5-0 run to take the lead. However, the Warriors managed to use a 7-1 run to take the set by a score of 25-20.
The Warriors were able to use runs of 4-0 and 5-1 early in the fourth set to take a 12-4 lead. The Lakers would rally with a 5-1 run of their own, but it would ultimately not be enough as Wayne State would take the set and the match by respective scores of 25-14 and 3-1.
Velasque led the way for the Lakers offensively with 15 kills. Meanwhile, Emily Kalinowski (South Lyon, Mich.) finished the day with 34 assists. Defensively, Sydney Briney (St. Joseph, Mich.) led her team in digs with 18 while Lasley joined her with double-digit digs of her own.
The Lakers will now turn their attention to the GLIAC Tournament in which they will travel to take on top-seeded Ferris State on Wednesday, Nov. 9. With the exception of the shortened COVID-19 season in which all GLIAC programs received a bid, this marks the first time that the Lakers have appeared in the postseason since the 1990s.