SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. - The Lake Superior State women's volleyball team will conclude its home schedule of the 2021 season this weekend as the team hosts the Northern Michigan Wildcats for a two-game Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) series. The opening match will be played on Friday, March 19 at 3:00 p.m. and will conclude on March 20 at 1:00 p.m., with both contests set to be played in the Bud Cooper Gymnasium in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich.
The Lakers
Through the first four weekends of the season, the Lakers hold a 0-8 record but have met some of the GLIAC's toughest competition including Michigan Tech and Ferris State. Following a 8-19 overall record (2-14 GLIAC) during the 2019 season, head coach Dave Schmidlin, who entered his fourth season in the role at LSSU, will look to guide the Lakers back to the win column this weekend.
This season, the Lakers will play a conference-only schedule, playing all 14 games against GLIAC opponents. The regular season will be spread out over seven weeks with games on back-to-back days against the same opponent. Last weekend, the Lakers played a home-and-home series against the Saginaw Valley State Cardinals. The Lakers, who hosted the opening game, fell in the first match in three sets and dropped the second match in three sets to the Cardinals in University Center, Mich. on SVSU's campus.
Senior outside hitter Sarah Bailey has led the team through the first eight games as she ranks first on the team with 43 kills this season. Bailey has averaged 1.72 kills per set, which ranks first among her teammates, and has played in all 25 sets for the Lakers this season.
Halle Grulke, Camdyn Odykirk and Malia Howe have been looked upon by Coach Schmidlin for offense this season. Grulke ranks second on the team in kills with 36 and kills per set (1.44) while Odykirk and Howe are tied for third with 35 kills apiece (1.40 kills per set). All three players have appeared in all eight matches and 25 sets for the Lakers this season. Another key player for the Lakers is Bethany Wilson, a junior middle hitter, who leads the team with six block solos as well as six block assists.
The Lakers setters Halle Grulke and Emily Kalinowski have combined for the majority of LSSU's assists this season. Kalinowski leads the team in the category with 89 assists this year while also ranking second on the Lakers in digs with 67. Grulke has totaled 85 assists to rank second on the team. Grulke is tied with libero Sydney Briney for first on the team in service aces as both have recorded six this season. Kalinowski ranks 13th in the GLIAC in assists while Grulke ranks one spot behind, at 14th in the category.
Defensively, the Lakers have been led by Briney. Briney, who has played in all 25 sets this season for Lake Superior, has recorded a team-leading 102 digs. Briney is tenth in the GLIAC in digs per set this season (4.08) and 13th in the conference in digs (102).
Scouting the Wildcats
The Northern Michigan Wildcats have totaled a 7-1 record this season, as the team has posted seven straight wins after falling in the opening match of the season to Ferris State in five sets. Earlier this week, the Wildcats received the No. 24 ranking in the AVCA Division II Coaches Poll. The Wildcats are led by head coach Mike Lozier, who is in his fourth season in the role at Northern Michigan. The Wildcats were picked to finish third in the GLIAC North Division standings in the Preseason Coaches Poll.
NMU is coming off back-to-back three set wins over Northwood last weekend. The Wildcats are led by freshman outside hitter Jaqueline Smith, who leads her team in kills with 105 while also leading the GLIAC in kills per set (4.38). The first year player has totaled a .235 hitting percentage in seven matches played this year. Junior outside hitter Lizzy Stark has also had a strong season for the Wildcats, recording 98 kills and 3.16 kills per set, which is second-best on NMU.
Sophomore setter Lauren Van Remortel has registered 350 assists this season to lead the Wildcats as well as the GLIAC in the category. Van Remortel also ranks second in the GLIAC in service aces as the sophomore has tallied 15 aces this season.
Defensively, the Wildcats are led by junior libero Alli Yacko, who has totaled a team-best 168 digs this season. Yacko ranks second in the GLIAC in digs this season and third in digs per set (5.42).
Follow the Lakers
Due to State of Michigan, GLIAC and Lake Superior State University mandates, fans are not currently permitted to attend any Laker sporting events. Even though spectators cannot currently attend Laker home games, there are still a number of ways that fans will be able to follow the game action. All Laker home games during the 2021 season will be available to watch live on Stretch TV. For more information or to sign up for a subscription, visit https://portal.stretchinternet.com/lssu/. Fans can also access live stats on lssulakers.com
For more information, visit lssulakers.com
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