ALLENDALE - The Saginaw Valley State University volleyball team dropped a 3-0 contest on the road to the nationally #17 ranked Grand Valley State University Lakers in a Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) North Division matchup on Friday night (11/7).

The Cardinals led throughout the first set and all the way until they held a 23-22 advantage late in the frame.  The Lakers, however, rattled-off three consecutive points and took the 1-0 lead after a 25-22 win.

The second set was similar to the first, as SVSU jumped out to a quick lead and pushed it out to as many as seven points with the score 12-7.  The Cards would hold a 24-21 lead and were on the verge of tying the match when GVSU rallied to knot the score at 24-24.  The score would be tied four times from there, the last coming at 28-28.  The Lakers would continue and get two straight points and take a 2-0 lead with the 30-28 victory.

Grand Valley would end up finishing the match with a 25-17 win in the third set, sealing the 3-0 victory for the home squad.

The loss drops SVSU to 16-9 overall on the season with a 12-5 record in the GLIAC.  The 12-5 league mark puts them in the 5th place slot overall.  Grand Valley improves to 20-4 overall and 16-1 in league play after the victory, sitting in a tie with Ferris State for first place.

Senior Kelsey Ferla had a team-high 13 kills in the match, adding 21 digs to the defensive effort.

Fellow senior Makenzie Frodle added 10 kills while senior Kate Czopek posted a game-high 23 digs.

Junior Brooke Tiller added 19 digs while sophomore Kaylee Schmitt and freshman McKenzie Schuster chipped-in with eight and five kills, respectively.  Schuster was named the Chili's "Player of the Match."

Still fighting for a possible fourth place finish and the right to host a GLIAC Tourney Quarterfinal match, the Cardinals travel to Ferris State on Saturday (11/8) for a matchup with the Bulldogs (19-5, 16-1 GLIAC).  First serve is set for 5:00 pm in Big Rapids.