Lakers finish 1-2 at crossover tournament
LANSING - Lake Superior State swept Maryville 3-0 Saturday morning and lost 3-2 to Missouri S&T on Saturday evening to finish 1-2 at the second annual Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference vs. Great Lakes Valley Conference Crossover Tournament, which included 30 teams going head-to-head at the Aim High Sports Complex.
Bellarmine (8-6) held LSSU (3-18) to 20 team kills to win Friday's match, 25-25, 25-25, 25-27. The Lakers bounced back to beat Maryville (3-16), 25-22, 25-20, 25-15. They lost a heartbreaker to Missouri S&T (9-20), 25-18, 25-20, 20-25, 14-16, 16-14.
Sara Hess totaled 13 kills, Janelle Balkwill had 33 assists and the Lakers compiled 45 team kills against Maryville to set season highs for a three-set match. Jessica Ewer's 11 kills is LSSU's second-best performance for a three-setter. Brittany Newberry finished with 23 digs, followed by Ewer with 10. Hess also had one solo block and two block assists.
Nikki Stratelak totaled a season-high 15 kills an had an impressive .481 attack percentage and 10 digs against Missouri S&T. Samantha Gibbs added 10 kills, and Hess followed with nine. Newberry totaled a season-hgih 36 digs, and Brandiss Ward had a season-high 29 assists. Missouri S&T totaled 63 team kills to LSSU's 56.
Gibbs and Ewer totaled five kills each, and Hess had four against Bellarmine. Newberry contributed 18 digs. Brandiss Ward finished with 11 assists, and Balkwill had seven.
The GLIAC claimed a 24-21 victory over the GLVC in the 2009 event, which is the largest NCAA volleyball tournament in the country. It was the second ever held between the two NCAA Division II conferences that reside in the Midwest region. The GLIAC also claimed last year's event by a 27-12 tally.
