The No. 12-ranked Ferris State Bulldogs (7-4, 2-1 in GLIAC) faced off against the No. 19-ranked Grand Valley State Lakers (8-2, 3-0 in GLIAC) at Bulldog Arena.
The first set started with the Bulldogs taking a quick lead, but Grand Valley stayed closely behind. The Bulldogs got out to a 16-12 lead before the Lakers called their first timeout of the set. The Bulldogs went on a 5-3 run before another Laker timeout was called, bringing the score up to 21-19 at Ferris’s first timeout. After the last Bulldog timeout, the Lakers ended up winning the back-and-forth first set 25-23.
The second set was another close one, with Ferris having a five-point lead for most of the set. Ferris called a timeout up 18-16 to stop Grand Valley’s momentum, but the Lakers started pulling away and were up 20-19 before the second Bulldog timeout. The Lakers won the second set 25-20 to put them up 2-0 in the match.
Grand Valley took an 8-5 lead over Ferris before a Bulldog timeout. The set was back-and-forth until the Bulldogs were up 19-15 at the Lakers’ first timeout of the set. It was back and forth until a Bulldog timeout while up 21-20. The Bulldogs then won two big rallies to change the momentum before a Laker timeout. Ferris ended up winning the third set 25-22.
In the fourth set, Ferris jumped out to a 12-8 lead before a Grand Valley timeout. Ferris then went on a 4-3 run before the second Grand Valley timeout. The two teams went point-for-point until the Bulldogs called a timeout at 22-18. Ferris State then went on a 3-1 run to end the set to tie up the match
The fifth set followed the same formula as the rest of the match, with both teams trading points. The Lakers led 8-5 when the teams switched sides at the halfway point. The Bulldogs then tied it up at 9 before Ferris won the next two points, leading to a Laker timeout. The two teams exchanged points until the Lakers won 17-15 in the fifth set.
Sophomore Gabby Piazza ended the match with 18 kills, and junior Lilly Peterson had 7 blocks. Sophomore Hayley Wegener ended with 49 assists.
The Bulldogs will play Wayne State on Saturday, September 27, at 3 pm at Bulldog Arena.