SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. - The Lake Superior State women's volleyball team will wrap up a five game homestand this weekend as the team will play a home-and-home series against the Saginaw Valley State Cardinals in a two-game Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) series. The opening match will be played on Friday, March 12 at 3:30 p.m. in the Bud Cooper Gymnasium in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. and will conclude on March 14 at 2:00 p.m. in University Center, Mich. in the Cardinal Gymnasium. 

The Lakers

Through the first three weekends of the season, the Lakers hold a 0-6 record but some of the GLIAC's toughest competition including 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 second consecutive weekend and faced the Davenport Panthers. The Lakers fell in the first match in four sets and dropped the second match in three sets to the Panthers. 

Senior outside hitter Sarah Bailey has led the team through the first six games as she ranks first on the team with 33 kills this season. Bailey has averaged 1.74 kills per set and has played in all 19 sets for the Lakers this season. 

Senior Kyra Vezina, an outside hitter, and junior Camdyn Odykirk, a middle hitter, have been looked upon by Coach Schmidlin for leadership on and off the floor this season. The two Lakers rank second and third on the team in kills. With 31 kills this year, Odykirk ranks second among her teammates in the category. Vezina ranks third on the team in kills with 29 and third in kills per set (1.61). 

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 71 assists this year while also ranking second on the Lakers in digs with 53. Grulke has totaled 62 assists while also ranking fourth on the team in kills (23). 

Defensively, the Lakers have been led by sophomore libero Sydney Briney. Briney, who has played in all 19 sets this season for Lake Superior, has recorded a team-leading 86 digs.  Briney is ninth in the GLIAC in digs this season

Scouting the Cardinals 

The Saginaw Valley Cardinals have totaled an 0-6 record to start the 2021 season, as the team has fallen in series against Northwood, Northern Michigan and Grand Valley.  The Cardinals are led by head coach Will Stanton, who is in his 17th season in the role at Saginaw Valley. The Cardinals were picked to finish fourth in the GLIAC North Division standings in the Preseason Coaches Poll. 

The Cardinals have a very young squad this season after graduating a large incoming class following the 2019 season. One key returner for the Cardinals is senior middle hitter Emily Friesl. Friesl was named the 2019 GLIAC Blocker of the Year and ranked second on the 2019 team in kills per set. 

Saginaw's junior outside hitter, Maria Vukaj, leads the team in kills this season with 91 and a team-leading 3.64 kills per set for the Cardinals. Vukaj also ranks second on the Cardinals in digs this season with 70 and is tied for the team-lead in service aces with seven. The senior leads the GLIAC in kills and her kills per set ranks fifth among all conference players. 

Defensively, the Cardinals are led by freshman libero Kelsey Vittitow. Vittitow has totaled a team-leading 100 digs this season and is tied for the team-high in service aces with seven. The freshman is one of six players in the GLIAC to record at least 100 digs this season. 

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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