BIG RAPIDS, Mich. -- The Wayne State University volleyball team (23-5 overall) won its seventh match in a row for the first time in six years and will play for a GLIAC Tournament Championship for the first instance in program history. Saturday night inside Ferris State's Ewigleben Arena, the second-seeded Warriors took care of sixth-seeded Parkside (19-9 overall) in four sets and extended their magical 2025 campaign.
"Tonight was definitely a playoff type atmosphere, with both teams scrapping and clawing for everything," said head coach
Tim Koth. "Parkside gave us their best shot, and we were able to pull through."
Wayne State 3, Parkside 1
HOW IT HAPPENED (-16, -23, 15-25, -28)
- Wayne State hit .285 for the match with 51 kills and 14 errors on 130 total attacks.
- Parkside countered with a clip of .158 on 52 kills, 29 miscues and 139 attempts.
- The Warriors' most efficient set was the first at .353 (14, 2, 34).
- The Rangers' most productive period was the third at .367 (15, 4, 30).
- That output for WSU is tied for the team's fifth highest of 2025.
- The biggest difference maker in favor of Wayne State may have come in total blocks, 14-6 in favor of the Green and Gold.
- Those 14 blocks tie the Warriors season high set on Oct. 17 against Rockhurst at the Crossover.
- Kayla Giroux was up to her normal standard with a match-high 15 kills and no errors on 28 total attacks for a .536 percentage.
- Paige Giehtbrock was the other Warrior with double-digit kills, including 13 with six mishaps and 36 attempts (.194).
- Katerina Stout only had 15 swings but took full advantage of them with eight kills and only two miscues for a .400 clip.
- Leigha Baldwin sent home seven kills with two errors on 19 total attacks for a .263 output.
- Staying on offense, Kayla Dulgar churned out 28 assists and Lauren Essenpreis notched a pair of service aces.
- Switching over to the defensive side of things, Giehtbrock tallied 12 digs for her seventh double-double of the fall and 17th of her career.
- Above the net, Wayne State racked up 28 block assists, starting with seven apiece from Giroux and Stout.
- Other Warriors with multiple stops were Kyleigh Weck with four, Dulgar with three, Essenpreis with three and Baldwin with three.
- Giehtbrock also got in on the action with an assisted stuff of her own.
LEADING THE WARRIORS
UP NEXT
Wayne State will square off against 18th-ranked and top-seeded Ferris State (24-6 overall) on the Bulldogs' floor with the opening serve scheduled for 4 p.m. FSU won both of the teams' regular-season meetings, 3-1 in Big Rapids on Sept. 27 and 3-0 in Detroit on Halloween night. Ferris State has won the previous four GLIAC Tournament Championships.
