(From left to right) Sophomores Olivia Inhout (7), Kaylee Kranz (13), Vanessa Walker (1), and Freshman Breslyn Zache (4), celebrate after a win. Kole Meschke/The Collegiate
The Grand Rapids Community College women’s volleyball team kicked off its season in decisive fashion on Thursday evening, sweeping Delta College 3-0 (25-17, 25-21, 25-21) at home.
The victory marked the start of head coach Chip Will’s 20th season at the helm of the Raiders program.
GRCC fought the whole way through the match, hitting .241 as a team behind an explosive game from sophomore outside hitter Kirstyn Lothschultz. Lothschultz led all players on the floor, tearing off for 18 kills on 28 attempts with just three errors to post an efficient .536 attack percentage and 19 total points on the night.
“Kirstyn came out really early on, and I think on her first eight swings she had seven kills,” Will said following the match. “That was huge for us to set a tone early.”
Despite the sweeping outcome, the match featured some early-season intensity. In the second set, a contested touch led to an exchange between Coach Will and the officials, resulting in a yellow card for the GRCC bench. The Raiders responded with back-to-back 25-21 sets, relying on their defense to close out Delta College.
Setters Payton Taylor and Breslyn Zache directed the Raiders’ attack, combining for 24 of the team’s 35 assists. Taylor added three service aces and four digs, while sophomore Vanessa Walker added seven kills and two block assists.
Defensively, the Raiders neutralized Delta’s attack through their backline rotation of Olivia Inthout (10 digs, 23 reception attempts), Ella Thayer (four digs, three aces), and Garnet Mullet (four digs, two aces).
“It’s always every year working through jitters during your first game, especially for the freshmen coming in and even sophomores who didn’t play as much last year,” Will said. “I thought as the match went on, it kept getting better and better. I thought we passed really well, and it doesn’t matter what level of volleyball, whoever serves and passes better usually wins.”
Coach Will emphasized the critical role played by his defensive specialists in establishing the team’s identity.
“We challenge our three DSs (defensive specialists) – Olivia (Inthout), Ella (Thayer), and Garnet (Mullet), to really be difference makers. The way people from the outside look in, offense and point scorers get people excited,” Will said. “But we get excited by those diggers dominating. It’s challenging for any team that comes in if you know you have three DSs back there that can just take over a game. They’re very selfless and completely buy in.”
Reflecting on reaching the 20-year milestone with the GRCC program, Will credited the consistency of the program’s culture.
“Even after 20 years, it’s cool to see the high-quality kids and high-quality families that we continue to bring in,” Will said. “We haven’t changed who we are, and we haven’t changed what we recruit. They’re fantastic human beings, so it’s pretty cool that we’ve kept that tradition after all these years.”
The Raiders return to the court at the Ford Fieldhouse on Wednesday, Sept. 2 at 6:30 p.m., where they’ll host Mott Community College. A reminder to all GRCC students and staff: bring your RaiderCard to a match and enjoy free admission.
