Ferris State Volleyball Drops Five-Set Road Contest At GVSU

Big Rapids, Mich. - Nationally-ranked Ferris State University fell to Grand Valley State in a five-set women's volleyball battle, 17-25, 25-13, 25-21, 16-25, 15-11, on Saturday (Nov. 1) at the GVSU Fieldhouse Arena in Allendale.

The Bulldogs recorded 16 total blocks, outpacing the Lakers' 11, and delivered seven service aces. Despite Ferris State's defensive efforts with 76 digs, the Lakers capitalized on 61 kills to secure the victory.

Ferris State opened the first set with a strong performance against GVSU in the second matchup of the year between the two West Michigan schools. The set saw Hayley Wegener contributing significantly with multiple assists, setting Gabby Piazza up for several kills, including at 13-10 and 15-10. The Lakers struggled with service errors, which helped the Bulldogs extend their lead. A decisive block by Wegener and Logyn Geren on Kendall Stover's attack at 23-15 kept the momentum with Ferris State. The set concluded at 25-17 with a kill by Wegener, marking a confident start for the Bulldogs.

Grand Valley State secured a 25-13 victory in the second set against FSU, gaining momentum with a series of scoring plays. Kennedy Arp contributed significantly to the home team's offense, recording multiple kills, further widening the gap. Meghan O'Sullivan and Gabby Orlet added to the lead with crucial kills, while the Bulldogs struggled to close the gap despite efforts from Emily May and Piazza. The set concluded with Orlet delivering the final point, assisted by Hayley Robinson, highlighting Grand Valley's strong all-around performance.

GVSU overcame an early deficit to secure a 25-21 victory in the third set. The Bulldogs initially took control with a 3-0 lead, featuring a service ace by Geren and kills from Piazza and Wegener. However, O'Sullivan's kill for Grand Valley State began a comeback, and they tied the score at 3-3 following consecutive attack errors by Piazza. The teams exchanged leads until the late stages, where the Lakers capitalized on a series of errors and strong serving from O'Sullivan, who finished with two consecutive service aces to close out the set.

Ferris State surged ahead in the fourth with a commanding start, capitalizing on Grand Valley State errors to jump to a 4-0 lead. Wegener and Maddy Vaara were pivotal in blocking efforts, contributing to the early momentum. Despite a brief rally by the Lakers, including a pair of service aces by Lexi Armstrong, Ferris State regained control with a series of kills from Piazza and Vaara, extending its lead to 16-10. Alana Deshetsky's service aces further widened the margin, and Geren sealed the set with a decisive kill, ending it at 25-16 for the Bulldogs.

In a tightly contested fifth set, Grand Valley State secured a 15-11 victory over Ferris State. The home team established an early lead with a service ace by Stover and maintained momentum with strong offensive plays, including kills by Brianna Stawski and Kate Goudreau. The Bulldogs responded with points from May and Piazza, narrowing the gap to just one point at 9-8. However, the Lakers' consistent attacking efforts, highlighted by O'Sullivan's and Arp's kills, pushed them to the cusp of victory. A final kill by Goudreau sealed the set and the match for the Lakers.

Wegener recorded 34 assists and contributed eight total blocks, leading the team's playmaking efforts. Piazza added 16 kills and totaled 19 points, proving crucial in the offensive performance. Vaara was effective at the net with six total blocks. Hope Davies contributed defensively with 16 digs, helping to stabilize the back row.

O'Sullivan led GVSU, recording 14 kills on 30 attempts with a .333 hitting percentage. Arp contributed significantly with 15 kills and a .393 hitting percentage. Armstrong was strong defensively, leading with 15 digs. Orlet had 45 assists while adding 13 digs.

Ferris State dropped to 19-5 overall and 10-2 in conference play with the setback. FSU holds a one-match lead over both GVSU and Wayne State in the league standings with two weeks remaining in regular-season play. The Lakers improved to 14-7 overall with the win.

FSU will head to Michigan's Upper Peninsula next weekend for a pair of conference road matches. The Bulldogs first face Northern Michigan on Friday (Nov. 7) in Marquette at 4 p.m. (ET) and then head to Houghton to meet Michigan Tech on Saturday (Nov. 8) at 2 p.m. (ET).