The Grand Rapids Community College women’s volleyball team upped their winning streak to five last night as they defeated Lansing Community College 3-2, a thriller for the fans in attendance.
The Raiders started off on a good note, winning the first set 25-18, but started to fall apart in the second set, 29-31, and in the third set, 19-25.
“We weren’t executing our movements like we had pretty much every other match we’ve had this year,” said Head Coach Chip Will about the team’s play in the second and third sets. “We were, uncharacteristically, not making the same plays as we have been doing … some of the players were getting frustrated by how they were playing, some of our leaders started to get frustrated as well.”
Will gave a stern pep talk to the team after they lost the third set. That seemed to reignite the mindset the team normally has and helping them win the fourth set, 25-19, and the fifth set as well, 15-7.
“After a good talking to, they got back to it. They got back to being great teammates which is what they really focused on,” Will said. “They were so worried about what they were doing (wrong) … The reason that we’re good is because we play as a team and we got back to that during the fourth and fifth set.”
Lansing Community College won the Western Conference last year, defeating the Raiders and ending their season in a not so likable fashion.
“I didn’t really know what to expect from Lansing,” said sophomore Lauren Wieber
about her expectations going into tonight’s game. “We knew they were gonna come out swinging and we were gonna do our best to compete with them.”
After Lansing won the second and third set, the Raiders needed an answer and a couple players stepped up.
“I thought Emily Farwell, playing in the middle, really stepped up,” Wieber said. “I saw her on fire tonight. And definitely Kennedy Potts stepped in playing Libero. She is a freshman and she is an absolutely outstanding defender.”
A libero is a specialized defensive position in the back half of the court.
The Raiders will play in the Owen’s Express Invitational tournament this Friday and Saturday in Toledo, Ohio.
The next home game will be 6:30 p.m. Sept. 20 at the Ford Fieldhouse.
