SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. - The Lake Superior State women's volleyball team will continue its five game homestand this weekend against the Davenport University Panthers in a two-game Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) series. The series, which will be played in the Bud Cooper Gymnasium, will open on Friday, March 5 at 3:00 p.m. and conclude on Saturday, March 6 at 12:00 p.m.
The Lakers
Through the first two weekends of the season, the Lakers hold a 0-4 record but have faced the top two teams in the GLIAC North Division in 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 at home for the first time this season against a talented Ferris State team and fell in both matches by scores of 3-0.
Junior middle hitter Camdyn Odykirk has led the team through the first four games as she ranks first on the team with 19 kills this season. Odykirk has averaged 1.58 kills per set while also adding 10 digs and two service aces.
Seniors Kyra Vezina, an outside hitter, and Sarah Bailey, an outside hitter, will be looked upon by Coach Schmidlin for leadership on and off the floor this season. This season, Vezina ranks second on the team in kills with 16 and third in kills per set (1.45). With 14 kills this year, Bailey ranks third among her teammates in the category.
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 42 assists this year. Grulke has totaled 31 assists while also ranking tied for third on the team in kills (14).
Defensively, the Lakers have been led by sophomore libero Sydney Briney. Briney, who has played in all 12 sets this season for Lake Superior, has recorded a team-leading 61 digs. Briney is tied for ninth in the GLIAC in digs this season. Freshman defensive specialist Emily Hagelthorn has totaled 27 digs this season while sharing the team-lead in service aces (3) with Grulke and Briney.
Scouting the Panthers
The Davenport University Panthers have totaled a 2-2 record to start the 2021 season, as the team dropped the first two matches of the season to Ashland but responded with back-to-back wins over Purdue Northwest last weekend. The Panthers are led by head coach Brian Netzler, who is in his second season in the role at Davenport. Davenport was picked to finish fourth in the GLIAC South Division standings in the Preseason Coaches Poll.
The Panthers have returned their top five attackers from the 2019 season including 2019 First-Team All-GLIAC honoree Hayley Kreiger. Kreiger, a junior outside hitter, has totaled 40 kills through the first four games of the season to rank second among her teammates. Other key returners for the Panthers include junior middle blocker Megan Herr, sophomore setter Grace Hayes, senior outside hitter Kendra DeJonge, and junior defensive specialist Nina Rudnitsky.
Davenport's sophomore middle hitter, Emmy Webb, is the reigning GLIAC South Player of the Week following a stellar performance against Purdue Northwest last weekend. Webb finished the pair of matches with a .583 hitting percentage and 23 kills to lead the Panthers.
Another notable member of the Panthers roster is sophomore libero Stephanie Kalinowski, the sister of Laker setter Emily Kalinowski. Davenport's Kalinowski is tied for the team-lead in digs this season (46) and ranks first on the team in digs per set (6.57).
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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