ALLENDALE, Mich. -- The Wayne State University volleyball squad (18-10 overall, 11-6 GLIAC) clinched the fourth and final home playoff spot for next week's GLIAC Tournament with a 3-1 triumph at Grand Valley State (16-12 overall, 9-8 GLIAC) on Friday evening.  WSU has a one-game lead on Michigan Tech, but the Warriors own the tiebreaker based on a win over Ferris State.

HOW IT HAPPENED
WSU won the first two sets (25-15 and 25-20) before GVSU rallied for a 25-23 victory in set number three.  The Warriors won the match with a 25-20 triumph in set four.

In the opening set. the host Lakers grabbed an early 3-0 lead, before the Warriors claimed four of the next five points to knot the match at 4-4.  After the set was tied at 5-5 and 6-6, Wayne State won six of the next seven points for a 12-7 advantage as freshman Kayla Giroux (Flat Rock, Mich.) posted two kills and an assisted block with graduate student Lauren VanderWal (Caledonia, Mich.).

WSU kept the pressure on GVSU claiming eight of the next 12 points for a commanding nine-point lead at 20-11.  VanderWal tallied three kills and two assisted blocks as the Warriors extended their margin.

Grand Valley trimmed its deficit to seven (20-13), but Wayne State finished the set winning five of the last seven points.  Giroux had two kills and an assisted block.

WSU hit .433 (15-2-30) compared to the Lakers .132 (12-7-38) in the opening set.

The Warriors began set two on a 7-1 run with VanderWal notching two kills as part of a true team effort.  Grand Valley State would pull within three points on four occasions (14-11, 15-12, 16-13, and 18-15) but could never cut its deficit to two as Wayne State was strong at the end of the set to win 25-20.

WSU hit. 263 (17-7-38) in the set, while GVSU hit .125 (11-6-40).

The Warriors tallied the first four points of the third set, before a 4-0 run by the Lakers put the hosts in front 8-7.  The set was tied four times until Wayne State had a 21-17 lead, but Grand Valley State responded by winning eight of the final 10 points of the set for a 25-23 victory.

Both teams had 15 kills in the third set, with GVSU having one more service ace (4-3).

In the fourth set, the Lakers won the first three points before WSU answered with three consecutive points.  The set was tied a couple of times until the Warriors won eight of 11 points for a 13-8 lead at the mid-point of the set.  Wayne State never led by fewer than three points the rest of the way in claiming the 25-20 triumph.

WSU hit .281 (13-4-32), with the Lakers hitting .226 (12-5-31) in the final set.

For the match, Wayne State hit .331 (60-16-133) compared to .199 (50-22-141) for Grand Valley State.

LEADING THE WARRIORS
VanderWal recorded a double-double with a match-high 25 kills and 14 digs.  Graduate student Kamryn Duffield (Romeo, Mich.) totaled 48 assists, while senior Maddy Benoit (Farmington, Mich. / Mercy) contributed a team-high 15 digs.

LEADING THE LAKERS
Kendall Stover posted a team-best 18 kills, while Jordyn Gates chipped in with 24 assists.

QUOTING COACH KOTH
"Outstanding road performance by the Warriors tonight.  Lauren was electric - congrats to her on getting her 1,000th career kills this evening."

UP NEXT
Wayne State will conclude the regular season with a Saturday afternoon match at Lake Superior State.  WSU will then prepare to host a GLIAC quarterfinal match at 7 p.m. on Wednesday at the Matthaei.