DETROIT -- At 6-1 overall, the Wayne State University volleyball team has tied its best start to a season (6-1 in 2021) since opening the 2016 campaign at 9-1.  Next up on the schedule, the Warriors will come home to the Matthaei Center and open GLIAC play on Friday and Saturday.  WSU will face Saginaw Valley State on Friday night at 7 p.m. before opposing Lake Superior State the following afternoon for a 4 p.m. first serve.

Coach's Corner
"We are looking forward to the opening of GLIAC play against Saginaw Valley State and Lake Superior State," said head coach Tim Koth.  "It should be an exciting opening weekend at the Matthaei."

All-Tournament Team Honors
Senior middle blocker Kayla Giroux (Flat Rock, Mich.) and junior outside hitter Paige Giehtbrock (Clarkston, Mich. [Rider]) were named to Daemen's Wildcat Classic All-Tournament Team.  In those three matches, as Wayne State went 2-1, Giroux hit .313 with 36 kills and 11 errors on 80 swings.  In her own right, Giehtbrock totaled 22 kills, two service aces, 32 digs and five total blocks (one solo, four assisted).  The transfer also earned her first double-double as a Warrior and 11th of her career in the Dallas Baptist match (11 kills, 15 digs).

Other Standout Performers
Staying on the offensive side of the ball for the Green and Gold, redshirt senior opposite Leigha Baldwin (Perrysburg, Ohio [Purdue Fort Wayne]) and freshman middle Katerina Stout (Macomb, Mich. / Dakota) were efficient on the attack as well.  Baldwin hit .280 with 23 kills and only nine errors on 50 attacks while Stout delivered 14 kills and just four miscues on 30 attacks for a .333 clip.  Not to mention, Baldwin racked up a team-best 12 blocks (three solo, nine assisted) and Stout added six of her own, all of the assisted variety.  Lastly on offense, behind the service line, Kayla Dulgar (Warsaw, Ohio / River View) sent home six aces to go with her 91 assists.  Finishing up defensively, Kendyl Andrews (Flushing, Mich.) notched 43 assists and now finds herself 18 shy of 1,000 for her career.

Last Week Rewind
As mentioned above, Wayne State hit the road for the first time in the young 2025 season and went 2-1 at Daemen's Wildcat Classic in Amherst, N.Y.  Friday, the Warriors dropped a four-set affair (25-27, 19-25, -20, 24-26) to Dallas Baptist, as two of the three sets lost went to extra points.  Then on Saturday, WSU took care of business with back-to-back sweeps against the likes of Clarion (-21, -9, -20) and the host Wildcats (-22, -19, -16).  All three of Wayne State's opponents made the NCAA Tournament in 2024 and the Patriots even advanced to the round of 32.

Scouting Saginaw Valley State
Saginaw Valley State (4-4 overall) has split its first eight matches of the season, never winning or losing more than one in a row.  The Cardinals are coached by second-year leader Lana Rybkowski (10-25 overall, 3-13 GLIAC).  Offensively, SVSU has been paced by a quintet of student-athletes.  Those five are redshirt sophomore outside hitter Rachel Townsend (67 kills), sophomore outside Chloe Vanwinkle (66 kills and 10 service aces), sophomore setter Jackie Scheiber (253 assists and 12 aces) and senior defensive specialist Liz Bruschuk (10 aces).  Defensively, Townsend's 75 digs lead the way while junior outside Kendall Ihm has blocked a team-leading 21 total attacks (two solo, 19 assisted).

Scouting Lake Superior State
Lake Superior State has yet to win a match at 0-4 overall, or even a single set, which means first-year head coach Eric Snyder is also looking for his first victory in Sault Ste. Marie.  Freshman right side Elisa Rizzoli (25 kills), senior setter Vanessa Swerdon (42 assists), senior outside Olivia Boutorwick (two service aces), senior attacker Valeriya Varnakova (two aces) and junior hitter Madisyn Dykema (two aces) are the offensive ringleaders thus far.  On the other side of the ball, sophomore libero Mia Garcia (36 digs) and junior middle Morgan Deming (eight blocks; five solo and three assisted) have stood out so far.