UNIVERSITY CENTER - The Saginaw Valley State University volleyball team faced a top-20 opponent for the second consecutive day on Saturday (9/13) when the Cardinals hosted the #18 Grand Valley State University Lakers.

The Cardinals jumped out to a 2-0 lead after taking the first two sets from the Lakers by scores of 25-21 and 25-19 in the first and second sets, respectively.  GVSU responded in the third and fourth frames, grabbing them 25-21 and 25-22 to knot the score at 2-2 and force a fifth and final set.  The final set was a back-and-forth affair, as both teams were neck and neck.  Grand Valley would end up claiming the fifth by a score of 16-14 and the match by a 3-2 count.

Senior Makenzie Frodle was named the Chili's "Player of the Match" after posting a team-best 12 kills, hitting .286 for the match and adding eight blocks.

Sophomore Kaylee Schmitt added eight kills and seven blocks while Brooke Tiller recorded a team-high 23 digs.  Sophomore setter Kelly Vellucci had 40 helpers in the match to go along with 19 digs.  Sidney Scott had seven kills while hitting at a .333 clip.  Freshman Tamara Heller added 16 digs to the contest.

"The team fought hard and played well against Grand Valley," stated Head Coach Will Stanton.  "We need to keep working to improve our execution on offense.  I was impressed with our hustle and defense, but our blocking really kept us in the match."

The Cardinals posted 29 total blocks compared to 13 for the visitors.

"We had some great performances by some younger players, so it was nice to see them respond well to the challenge."

After the defeat, SVSU falls to an even 3-3 on the year with an 0-2 mark in GLIAC play.  The Lakers improved to 4-2 overall and 2-0 in league play.  The Cards return to action at home on Friday (9/19) against Tiffin with a 7:00 pm start time.