ST. CLOUD, Minn. - The Lake Superior State volleyball team improves to a 3-3 overall record after the first day of play at the GLIAC/NSIC Crossover tournament at St. Cloud State University in St. Cloud, Minn. LSSU lost the first match to the tournament host, the St. Cloud Huskies, in straight sets but ended the opening day with a victory against the Minnesota-Crookston Golden Eagles.
The Lakers will wrap up the tournament tomorrow Saturday, Sept. 14 with a double header starting with a 10:00 a.m. match against No. 6 Minnesota-Duluth followed by a 2:00 p.m. game against South Dakota Mines.
Game 1 - Lake State vs St. Cloud:
Lake State was defeated by tournament host St. Cloud in three sets to open the tournament. Senior Amanda Reid and sophomore Camydn Odykirk had the strongest offensive effort for the Lakers with Reid recording eight kills and Odykirk notching five kills in the match.
Setter Halle Grulke continued her streak as the Lakers assist leader as she tallied 18 assists in the day's opening match.
The Lakers defense was carried by sophomore Abby Beachnau who had 11 digs against the Huskies and freshman Sydney Briney, with 10 digs in the appearance.
Game 2 - Lake State vs Minnesota-Crookston:
The Lakers faced off against the Minnesota-Crookston Golden Eagles for the second time in less than a week in the team's second match of the day. After last Saturday's decisive fifth set victory of the Golden Eagles, Lake State would earn their third win of the season in a four set afternoon match.
The first set saw the two teams trade points for most of the match, ultimately ending with Lake State winning the set by a score of 27-25. After losing the second set to Minnesota-Crookston, the Lakers responded with back-to-back set wins to clinch the match in four sets.
Identical to the first game of the day, the Lakers offense was driven by Reid and Odykirk. Odykirk led the Lakers with 14 kills in the victory, while Reid recorded 13 kills. Sophomores Kelly Walter (8 kills) and Bethany Wilson (9 kills) also had strong games for Lake State.
Grulke contributed 39 of the team's 41 total assists in the match, while also notching the second most digs on the team (15) in the game.
Beachnau led the team in digs for the second straight game with 18, while Briney recorded 11 digs to help get the Lakers their third win of the season.
Up Next:
Saturday, September 14th
Game 1 vs. Minnesota-Duluth @ 10:00 a.m.
Game 2 vs. South Dakota Mines @ 2:00 p.m.
After this tournament the Lakers kick off their 2019 GLIAC conference season and host the #11 Ferris State Bulldogs (4-0) on Friday, Sept. 20 at 6:30 p.m. On Saturday, Sept. 21 the Lakers will host the Northwood Timberwolves (0-3) at 2:00pm. Both matches are set to be played in the Bud Cooper Gymnasium.
For more information on tickets, click here or call 906-635-2601.
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