Grand Valley State 3, Parkside 0 | 25-21, 25-11, 25-21
In Parkside volleyball's first match since Nov. 20, 2019, the Rangers fell 3-0 to a tough Grand Valley State squad on the road to open the 2021 spring season. Parkside will face GVSU on Saturday at 3 p.m. to finish out the opening weekend.
 
HEAR FROM COACH BAREA
"For our first match in over 450 days, I am proud of how the team competed," head coach Leigh Barea said. "There were definite moments of jitters but I'm also proud how they bounced back instead of giving up when set two got away from us. We were right there with them in sets one and three so the team is looking forward to getting another shot at (GVSU) tomorrow."
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
In the first set, Parkside came out hot, taking an 11-4 lead, but the Lakers battled back and tied it up at 13-13. The teams went back-and-forth, but GVSU was able to win the final three points and take the first set.
 
The second set was all GVSU, as the Lakers jumped out to a 12-3 advantage early and cruised to the 25-11 win to take a 2-0 lead in the match.
 
The Rangers battled in the third set, again taking an early lead, this time thanks to three early kills from sophomore Reese Rossnagel. With Parkside leading 12-10, GVSU scored five of the next six points and never trailed again. The Rangers were within two at 23-21, but the Lakers finished out the match with the 25-21 win.
 
STATWORTHY
Rossnagel led the Rangers with 13 kills while junior Jazmine Neal had five and sophomore Lexi Packard had three. Junior Jessie Bradshaw led the way with 5.0 blocks while sophomore Alysha Brickl had a team-high 14 assists. Senior Kendall Holmes had a team-high nine digs.
 
As a team, Parkside hit .111, with 28 kills and 18 errors. GVSU finished at .278 with 39 kills and 14 errors. The teams went even in blocks (8-8) while the Lakers had seven aces to the Rangers' three.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
The Rangers will battle the Lakers once more on Saturday at 3 p.m. before welcoming in Ashland next weekend for the home opener on Friday, Feb. 26 at 7 p.m.