SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. - The Lake Superior State women's volleyball team will return to action this Friday, April 9 in the 2021 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Volleyball Tournament, following a two-week pause in competition due to COVID-19 protocols. The Lakers, as the No. 10 seed in the tournament, will face the No. 7 seeded Davenport Panthers in the opening round at 1:00 p.m. on the campus of Saginaw Valley State University in University Center, Mich.
The 2021 GLIAC Volleyball Tournament will include 11 GLIAC teams, with the top-five teams receiving an opening-round bye. The Quarterfinals will be played later in the day on Friday with the winners advancing to Saturday's Semifinals. The losing team will move on to the Consolation Bracket. Both the Tournament Final and the Consolation Bracket Final will be played on Sunday, April 11. More information and the full schedule can be found on the GLIAC's Tournament page by clicking here.
The Lakers
At the close of the regular season, the Lakers compiled an 0-10 overall record after having to cancel the final two series of the season due to COVID-19 protocols. The Lakers enter the 2021 GLIAC Tournament, led by head coach Dave Schmidlin, looking to make an impact in postseason play.
The Lakers hosted the Davenport Panthers for a weekend series on Friday, March 5 and Saturday, March 6 in the Bud Cooper Gymnasium in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. The Panthers took the first match by a score of 3-1 and wrapped up the pair of contests with a 3-0 win on Saturday over the Lakers.
Senior outside hitter Sarah Bailey led the team through the regular season as she ranks first on the team with 58 kills, heading into the GLIAC Tournament. Bailey has averaged 1.87 kills per set, which ranks first among her teammates, and has played in all 31 sets for the Lakers this season.
Halle Grulke, Malia Howe and Camdyn Odykirk have been looked upon by Coach Schmidlin for offense this season. Grulke ranks second on the team in kills with 46 and kills per set (1.48) while Howe sits in third place on the team with 45 kills (1.45 kills per set). Odykirk, a junior middle hitter, has recorded 40 kills this season for LSSU with a 1.29 kills per set mark. All three players have appeared in all 10 matches and 31sets for the Lakers this season. Another key player for the Lakers is Bethany Wilson, a junior middle hitter, who leads the team with six block solos as well as seven block assists.
Lake Superior State's setters Halle Grulke and Emily Kalinowski have combined for the majority of the team's assists this season. Kalinowski leads the team in the category with 117 assists this year while also ranking second on the Lakers in digs with 86. Grulke has totaled 96 assists to rank second on the team. Kalinowski ranks 16th in the GLIAC in assists while Grulke ranks one spot behind, at 17th in the category.
Defensively, the Lakers have been led by sophomore libero Sydney Briney. Briney, who has played in all 10 matches this season for Lake Superior, has recorded a team-leading 110 digs. Briney is 16th in the GLIAC in digs per set this season (3.67). Briney also leads the Lakers in service aces this season with eight.
Scouting the Panthers
The Davenport University Panthers have totaled an 8-6 record during the 2021 regular season and enters the postseason as the seventh seed in the tournament. 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, totaled 209 kills during the regular season to lead the Panthers. Kreiger leads all GLIAC players in kills this season and her 3.94 kills per set is fifth-best in the GLIAC this season.
Freshman setter Nicole Odeen has been impressive for the Panthers in her first season as her 471 assists ranks sixth in the GLIAC. Odeen is coming off a record-setting performance in her last match as she recorded 45 assists, 11 digs and 10 service aces in the Panthers five-set loss to Parkside last week. Her 23 service aces this season ranks second among all GLIAC players and first on Davenport.
Defensively, the Panthers are led by junior defensive specialist Nina Rudnitsky, who leads the team with 174 digs this season and 4.27 digs per set.
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