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 Kim Gear notched 16 kills Friday against GVSU. |
Sept. 12, 2008
DETROIT - In a four-set battle to open the 2008 GLIAC slate, Wayne State (5-4, 0-1 GLIAC) fell in its first home match of the season, 3-1, to 10th-ranked Grand Valley State (8-2, 1-0 GLIAC) on Friday night at the Matthaei.
Two of the four sets went to extra points, but the Lakers were able to put the Warriors away in three straight sets after WSU took the first one, 27-25.
Kim Gear (Benton Harbor, Mich./Watervliet) collected 16 kills, one shy of her career high, along with four blocks. Sarha Gosselin (Harrison Twp., Mich./Warren Lincoln) had 11 kills and eight digs, while Lauren Mallast (Chesterfield, Mich./Anchor Bay) totaled nine kills as well as six blocks, including three solo.
Wayne State came back from a 20-15 deficit to tie the score at 24 apiece in the first set, eventually taking two straight points to grab a 1-0 lead in the match.
Grand Valley State, the defending GLIAC champion, evened things up with a 25-19 victory in the second and narrowly won a back-and-forth third set, 25-23.
In the fourth set, which needed 58 total points to decide, neither team led by more than three. The gap narrowed further late in the set, as they were either tied or separated by a single point over the final 13 points before GVSU put the match away, 30-28.
GVSU's Lauren Reber posted a double-double with 20 kills and 17 digs for the Lakers, who have won five straight.
Mayssa Bazzi (Dearborn, Mich.) recorded 18 digs for WSU, and Katy Westenberg (Milford, Mich.) racked up 39 assists with a pair of service aces and two blocks.
Wayne State will host Ferris State on Saturday at 4:00 p.m. in the Matthaei.
