BIG RAPIDS, Mich. -- There's a first time for everything ... The Wayne State University volleyball team (24-5 overall) won the GLIAC Tournament for the first time in program history on Sunday afternoon inside Ewigleben Arena. The second-seeded Warriors took care of 18th-ranked and top-seeded Ferris State (24-7 overall) in the finals, three sets to one. WSU's eighth straight victory, the Warriors' longest winning streak in over 16 years, dethroned the four-time defending league tournament winner in FSU.
Wayne State's 24 victories are tied for the 10th most in school history and are the program's most since 29 in 1997 (29-8).
"I'm humbled by the moment," said 12th-year head coach and three-time GLIAC Coach of the Year
Tim Koth. "The resiliency of this team, their will to win and their ability to do everything together as a team is a mark of how special they are. We are GLIAC Champions!! GO WARRIORS!!!"
ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Senior middle
Kayla Giroux (Flat Rock, Mich.) was named Tournament MVP, the first in program history. Giroux hit .402 in three matches with 42 kills and only five errors on 92 total attacks. The veteran also accounted for 16 total blocks to go with 15 digs on the defensive end. Also earning her way onto the six-member All-Tournament Team was freshman middle
Katerina Stout (Macomb, Mich. / Dakota). Stout was even more potent above the net in her three outings with 17 stops to her name, while hitting .341 with 20 kills and just six errors on 41 attempts.
Wayne State 3, Ferris State 1
HOW IT HAPPENED (27-29, -18, -12, -19)
- Wayne State hit .220 for the match with 56 kills and 19 errors on 168 total attacks.
- Ferris State countered with a .131 output, including 50 kills and 25 miscues on 191 attempts.
- That marked FSU's second-lowest clip of the season and worst since .113 on Sept. 6 against Central Oklahoma.
- The Warriors' most efficient set was the third at .258 (11, 3, 31).
- The Bulldogs' most productive period was the first at .250 (21, 6, 60).
- Giroux sent home a match-high 17 kills on 41 total attacks with just four errors for a .317 hitting percentage.
- Leigha Baldwin (Perrysburg, Ohio [Purdue Fort Wayne]) was very efficient at .458 with 13 kills and only two miscues on 24 attempts.
- Stout finished the match with eight kills and a lone error on 16 swings for a .438 output.
- Staying on offense, Kayla Dulgar (Warsaw, Ohio / River View) dished out 40 assists, while four Warriors asserted themselves behind the service line.
- That quartet included Lauren Essenpreis (Amherstburg, Ont. / North Star S.S.) with two aces, Paige Giehtbrock (Clarkston, Mich. [Rider]) with two, Dulgar (one) and Abby Macalaguim (Chula Vista, Calif. / Eastlake [Saint Anselm]) with one.
- Defensively, Wayne State racked up 97 digs, 11 more than the next-best mark this season and the team's highest mark in over seven years.
- Individually, Macalaguim was the ringleader in that category with a career-high 24.
- Right behind her was Dulgar with 23, which ties her season best.
- Joined by the 40 assists, Dulgar registered her 10th double-double of the season and 30th of her career.
- Also recording double-digit digs were Kendyl Andrews (Flushing, Mich.) with 14 and Essenpreis with 12.
- All 16 of the Warriors' blocks were assisted and came from five different players.
- That fivesome included Giroux (five), Giehtbrock (three), Baldwin (three), Stout (three) and Dulgar (two).
LEADING THE WARRIORS
UP NEXT
With the win, Wayne State earned an automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament, the fourth such appearance in school history and first since 2021.
The Warriors will find out their seed and opponent on Monday night at 7:30 p.m. during the NCAA Selection Show at NCAA.com. WSU was ranked fifth in the eight-team field this past Wednesday for the latest edition of the regional rankings.
