Mike Barrett, LSSULakers.com
SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. — The Lake Superior State volleyball team's 2018 season came to an end Saturday, November 3rd, when they hosted Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) foe Saginaw Valley State in their final match of the year. The Cardinals (17-9, 10-5 GLIAC) were pushed to the limit by the Lakers (5-21, 2-13 GLIAC), but prevailed in five sets (26-24, 21-25, 25-23, 25-27, 15-8).
The opening set saw Lake Superior put together a rally late. With the Cardinals leading 21-17, Lake Superior went on a 7-1 scoring run, putting Saginaw Valley on the ropes. The Cardinals, however, scored the next four points, claiming the set 26-24.
Set number two had the home team go on a 5-1 scoring run with the score tied at 20. A kill by senior Morgan Kelley earned Lake Superior the set and tied the match.
Unfortunately for the Lakers, the third set played out much like the first set. The Cardinals had their backs to the wall, but battled back, claiming the set.
Aiming for the win, the Cardinals jumped out to an impressive 22-12 lead in the fourth set. Lakers head coach Dave Schmidlin rallied his team, however, and the Lakers put together an improbable 10 straight points, tying the set in the process. Saginaw Valley extended the set beyond 25 points, but Lake Superior came away with the win, as an attack error netted the 27-25 victory.
A fifth set was necessary for the Lakers for the 13th time this season. This time, luck was not on the Lakers side, as Saginaw Valley came away with a 15-8 set victory, and a 3-2 match win.
Statistically, the Lakers were led by Amanda Reid with 15 kills, followed by Kelley, who had 14. Libero Paige Gotham had 25 digs and Kelly Walter had 5 blocks.
The Cardinals were led by Sarah Tabit with 20 kills and a match high 22 points. Abbie Toland came up with 21 digs.
As a team, Lake Superior had a .140 kill rate, while the Cardinals posted a .173.
Following the game, the Lakers honored the five seniors on the 2018 squad. Setter Lauren Lukasik (Woodbridge, Illinois), outside hitter Kelley (Cadillac, Michigan), libero Gotham (Reese, Michigan), defensive specialist Mikala Williams (Mt. Pleasant, Michigan) and student assistant coach Jena Tulgestke (Rogers City, Michigan) were honored for their contributions to the Lake Superior State volleyball program.