Volleyball Season Comes to a Close after a Loss in the GLIAC Consolation Bracket

UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich. – The Lake Superior State women’s volleyball team’s season came to a close following a loss to the Wisconsin Parkside Rangers in the Consolation Bracket of the 2021 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Volleyball Tournament by a score of 3-0 on Saturday, April 9 in University Center, Mich. 

The Lakers dropped the match in three straight sets by scores of 25-18, 25-20, and 25-20 to the Rangers.

The Lakers and Rangers exchanged points through the beginning of the first set with the teams tied at seven points apiece. The Lakers offense to start the set was driven by Malia Howe who recorded two kills for the Lakers and freshman Emilee McDaniel who also tallied a kill. 

Camydn Odykirk and Bethany Wilson each registered kills for the Lakers as the set remained locked at 11-11 with the Rangers. However, Parkside would go on a run of four consecutive points to build a 15-11 lead over the Lakers. The Lakers would play from behind for the remainder of the set. 

Wilson and Howe would each add two kills in the final stages of the set but the Lakers would drop the opening set to the Rangers, 25-18. 

The start to the second set resembled the first set as the teams traded points.  Through the first twenty points played, the score was tied at 10 apiece. Odykirk led the way for the Lakers in the stretch with a team-leading three kills. 

Parkside would once again build a lead over the Lakers, scoring eight of the set’s next nine points to go ahead, 19-11 on the scoreboard. Yet, the Lakers would have an answer as the team secured seven of the set’s next nine points.  With strong serving from Halle Grulke and Sydney Briney, the Lakers pulled within two points of the Rangers (20-18). Parkside would respond to close out the second set by score of 25-20. 

The Lakers struggled to record points against the Rangers in the beginning of the third set. Parkside held an early 11-4 lead over Lake Superior State. Wilson registered a kill for the Lakers and Briney would serve an ace to close the deficit to five points (11-6). But, the Rangers would extend the lead to 22-10 in the set to take a demanding advantage.

With their season on the line, the Lakers put together an impressive rally in the third set to score 10 of the next 13 points. The Lakers saw kills from McDaniel, Odykirk, and Vezina as well as an ace from Katja Wilhelms in their late push to force another set. Parkside would hold on for a 25-20 win in the third set to take the match by a score of 3-0. 

The Lakers finished the match with a total of 29 kills while the Rangers totaled 46 kills in three sets. Offensively, Lake Superior was led by Odykirk, who finished the match with 10 kills. Odykirk also posted two block solos and two block assists against the Rangers. Parkside’s Jazmine Neal totaled a team-leading 13 kills in the match. Grulke led LSSU with 25 assists in the contest.

Defensively, the Lakers totaled 56 digs while the Rangers recorded 58 digs. Laker libero Sydney Briney led the team with 23 digs while Vezina (10 digs) and Wilhelms (9 digs), rounded out the Lakers top three in the category.