Lakers fall in final round of GLIAC tourney

The Lakers (13-2, 10-2 GLIAC) started the weekend with dominating performances against Lake Superior State University, sweeping doubles action from their first round opponent in route to a 5-0 victory.

GVSU head coach John Black commended seniors Tara Hayes and Alyssa Lucas, who were competing in their last conference tournament, for setting the tone early by defeating their doubles counterparts 8-3.

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“Tara and Alyssa have been doing a great job,” he said. “They’ve been playing first doubles together and this is the first year they’ve been together so they’ve had to make some adjustments, but they’ve gotten better each match, and they’ve done a great job of pushing the team.”

Black added that the Lakers put together arguably their best match of the season on Saturday, upsetting second-seeded Wayne State (13-2, 11-1 GLIAC) to advance the to the tournament championship match.

“It took us a little while to get there, but we started playing really well at the end of the year,” he said. “I would much rather has a strong finish than a strong start.”

With the 5-1 win, the Lakers were able to avenge an early-season 5-4 loss to Wayne State while also making their way to the conference championship match.

The Lakers were led by sophomore Lexi Rice and junior Allison Fecko, who were victorious in both singles and doubles play, accounting for all but one of GVSU’s points in the match.

“Lexi and Allison both played really well,” Hayes said. “They both knew they had to give it all they had in singles, but I think the most important thing is they didn’t play under pressure. We had a bad match last time we played Wayne, but they were confident [Saturday].”

After two wins in two days the Lakers moved to the GLIAC Tournament Championship match Sunday against Northwood University (15-0, 12-0 GLIAC), a team that defeated GVSU 5-4 during regular season play.

The Timberwolves were victorious against the Lakers, winning all three doubles matches and winning the tournament title 5-2.

Freshman Leah Dancz and sophomore Anne Marie Morin picked up the only victories during the championship match, defeating their opponents 6-3, 7- 5 and 3-6, 6-0, 6-0 respectively.

Despite the loss Sophomore Niki Shipman said she thinks everyone played tough this weekend and will continue to practice to be prepared for a possible trip to nationals, in May.

“I think everyone has made improvements this season,” she said. “I think we have a good chance at going to nationals and hopefully having some good results at nationals.”

Lakers No. 3 seed in GLIAC tourney this weekend

Instead of dwelling on a pair of disappointing 5-4 defeats earlier this season, the Grand Valley State University women’s tennis team will use its losses as motivation to be the aggressor at this weekend’s GLIAC Tournament in Midland, Mich.

GVSU (11-2, 10-2 GLIAC) will enter the conference tournament on Friday as the No. 3 seed behind Northwood University and Wayne State University, each of whom account for the team’s only defeats of season.

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It is no secret that the Lakers are ready for another opportunity to face the two teams that got the best of them earlier this season, but in order for that to happen, the Lakers must first defeat their first round opponent Lake Superior State University, a team GVSU swept 9-0 earlier this season.

Despite two blemishes in conference play, senior Tara Hayes said the Lakers are a different team now than they were at the beginning of the season because of stronger doubles play and increased movement and communication on the court.

Aggressiveness during doubles play has given the team reason to believe it is in a good position to make a run toward a tournament championship and possibly have rematch with the Timberwolves or Warriors.

“I know we lost to Wayne, but everyone had an off day, and based on our results lately I think we have a shot at winning the tournament,” Hayes said.

The Lakers know from first-hand experience that playing aggressive during doubles has the power to set the tone and momentum of a match. In both losses this season, the Lakers were unable to capture a lead after doubles play, and as a result, had to fight back from a 2-1 deficit against Wayne State and 0-3 deficit against Northwood.

GVSU head coach John Black said in order to be successful this weekend, GVSU will need to continue to focus on doubles and avoid playing from a deficit.

“We need to keep playing aggressive in the doubles, and by I aggressive I mean having the net players attack, taking control of the net and forcing other teams to hit shots past us,” he said.

For sophomore Niki Shipman, who said her game took a while to evolve and reach its peak this season, this weekend will be about using her improved doubles game, experience and familiarity with their opponents in order to be successful.

Shipman’s personal strategy when competing in the conference tournament is to focus on putting all her technique together in order to remain accurate and use what she calls her weapon shot, which can catch other competitors off guard.

“Part of the sport is knowing you’re one on one with an opponent so there are different parts of [an opponents’] game that you get know if you’ve played them before, and it absolutely helps to develop to a strategy,” Shipman said.

The GLIAC tournament will take place Friday through Sunday at the Midland Community Tennis Center in Midland, Mich. The Lakers will open against Lake Superior State at 6 p.m. Friday.

Aggressive mentality helps women earn a pair of victories

End results in tennis depend heavily on the execution in singles and doubles, and in recent weeks the Grand Valley State University women’s tennis team has made it known that in order for the Lakers to be the best team they are capable of being this season, they must increase their aggressiveness in doubles play.

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This weekend the Lakers went on the road for three GLIAC matches with the goal of playing aggressive through the entirety of each match and coming out of doubles competition with the lead.

“This weekend was all about us coming out ready to play,” said freshman Leah Dancz. “We can’t afford another loss because it really hurts our chances of going to nationals.”

On Friday, in a match that determined third place in the conference, GVSU was able to claim a 2-1 lead over Ashland University (8-3, 8-3 GLIAC) after doubles play was complete and delivered solid singles performances across the board to down the Eagles, 8-1.

Sophomores Niki Shipman and Lexi Rice used come-from-behind victories during singles play to give the Lakers a singles sweep over Ashland.

Shipman, who plays at No. 1 singles, lost her first set 3-6 before bouncing back to defeat her opponent 6-2, 6-4. Similarly, Rice, the No. 4 singles player, dropped the first set 3-6 and then came back to win sets two and three by a score of 6-3, 6-2.

“Coming back [from a deficit] is all about focus,” Shipman said. “It’s not about who is in better shape, it’s about who wants it more.”

On Saturday, GVSU continued to focus on its doubles play, winning a pair of matches to give the Lakers a 2-1 advantage over Ohio Dominican University (7-5, 6-5 GLIAC) at the start of singles play.

Rice once again turned in strong performances for GVSU, downing the Panthers in straight sets 6-0, 6-0. However, Rice was not alone; senior Alyssa Lucas and sophomore Alison Fecko defeated their counterparts 6-0, 6-1 and 6-1, 6-0, respectively, while freshman Leah Dancz remains unbeaten on the year, improving to 5-0 after her singles victory.

With two wins this weekend, GVSU improves to 9-2 on the season and 8-2 in the GLIAC.

“This weekend went very well,” said GVSU head coach John Black. “Doubles seem to be playing more as a team, moving their feet, communicating and playing more aggressive.”

On Sunday, the Lakers’ match against Lake Erie College (0-10, 0-9 GLIAC) ended in a forfeit because the Storm did not have full rosters ready to compete.

As the regular season winds down, the Lakers look to continue to perfect their doubles play on Thursday when they head to Ferris State University for a match that was rescheduled due to rain before competing in the GLIAC tournament on Oct. 21.

Although, GVSU is not overlooking Ferris State, they are ready for a chance to avenge an early season 5-4 loss to Wayne State University during the conference tournament.

“I think everyone on the team was disappointed on how we played against [Wayne State] so we’re hoping for another shot at them,” said Black.

Lakers stumble in doubles, fall 5-4 to Northwood

For the second time this season, the Grand Valley State University women’s tennis team dropped a 5-4 decision to a GLIAC opponent.

On Tuesday, Northwood University came prepared to battle with the Lakers, as the visiting Timberwolves came out victorious in all three doubles matches. With the loss, GVSU is now 7-2 overall and 6-2 in GLIAC play.

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“It as a disappointing loss because we just didn’t get the job done in doubles,” said GVSU head coach John Black. “The big story of our season this year is getting our doubles working. If we can get [doubles] going we can beat any team we play. If we’re in 3-0 hole we’re not going to win many matches.”

GVSU countered Northwood’s attack by compiling a four wins in the singles matches but couldn’t quite recover from the early deficit.

The Lakers were led by senior Tara Hayes and freshman Leah Dancz, who defeated their singles competition 7-5, 6-3 and 6-4, 6-3 respectively.

“I knew I had to go out there giving 100 percent,” said Hayes. “I played the best tennis I’ve played in probably four years. We lost all three doubles, [so] going into my singles match I gave it all I had. It was definitely worth it.”

Traditionally, Northwood is a strong team and a conference contender said Black. Still, GVSU outplayed the Timberwolves in the later part of Tuesday’s match, and hopes to get another shot at their GLIAC foe during the conference tournament.

Hayes said coming into the match GVSU wasn’t feeling a lot of pressure knowing that Northwood was a strong conference opponent. However, once the score was tied 4-4, the match got heated.

Dancz, who only competed in singles, said she felt the intensity of the match when she stepped out on the court.

“It was a lot of pressure after the doubles had lost to come back and win all the singles, but [the team] didn’t give up,” Dancz said. “We kept fighting and almost pulled it off so that was exciting.”

Aside from Hayes and Dancz, sophomores Lexi Rice and Anne Marie Morin also picked up wins for Lakers at No. 4 and No. 6 singles, respectively, while senior Alyssa Lucas had her seven-match win streak snapped.

As conference play continues, the team knows they have to improve both the execution and concentration during doubles play.

Hayes and Dancz said if the Lakers can find a way start doubles competition with the same aggressiveness as they do with singles, GVSU will be unbeatable.

“We’ve had a lot of matches in the past few days,” Black said. “We played four this [past] weekend and one [Tuesday], so tomorrow we’re going to rest. Then we’re going to continue to work on doubles in practice. Hopefully, the things we’re doing in practice will pay off down the road.”

The Lakers will be back in action on Friday, squaring off against GLIAC rival Ferris State University. The match will take place in Big Rapids at 3 p.m.

Tough opponents yield positive results for women's tennis

Even divided by state lines, the Grand Valley State University women’s tennis team proved this weekend that it can still unite together to turn out the win.

During a weekend when half of the team played in Indianapolis at the ITA Regional Tournament while the other half competed in Chicago at the River Forest Tennis Club Invitational, the Lakers found a way to turn in strong performances.

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Four players participated in the regional tournament in Indianapolis, where senior Tara Hayes, who went 2-1 on the weekend, led the team.

“The regional tournament is not flighted, which means the third or fourth best player on one team could be playing the top player from another team,” said GVSU head coach John Black. “We faced some of the top teams in the region this weekend and I was very happy with our performances.”

Hayes, whose lone loss on the weekend came at the hands of the top player in the region, said preparing for a tournament is a little different than a traditional match.

During tournaments, each team member is playing a different opponent, which makes mental preparation key because athletes are competing individually.

“I really enjoyed this weekend because I faced a lot of international competitors,” Hayes said. “They hit and serve the ball harder so it was a good challenge.”

In Chicago, five GVSU freshmen competed against a field full of Division I opponents. Still, the Lakers didn’t let their opponents dictate the level of play or results on the weekend, finishing with a 21-6 record.

“The freshman went out and played extremely tough tennis this weekend, which is only going to help us get better,” Black said. “You don’t get better by beating teams 6-0, 6-0 — you get better by playing tough tennis.”
 
Leading the way were freshman Morgan Patterson and senior Alyssa Lucas, who both went undefeated during singles play. Freshman Kelly Trapp also turned in solid performances, posting a 3-1 record.

“It was a little intimidating at first playing all Division I schools, but we knew if we played tough, we could compete with anyone,” said freshman Kelly Trapp. “Playing such tough competition helps me believe in myself, and take the mentality of never give up on and off of the court. Hopefully, that is something I can use throughout my life.”

For several of the first year players, this weekend’s competition was the first time they even cracked the lineup.

The solid results posted by the newcomers is not only an indicator that they are capable of competing, but it speaks volumes about the leadership abilities of seniors Katelyn Schaffer, Lucas and Hayes.


Moving forward, GVSU hopes their strong performances against formidable opponents is a good implication that they are headed in the right direction.

The Lakers have three home GLIAC matches this weekend against Lake Superior State University, Michigan Technological University and Hillsdale College.

“Lake Superior and Michigan Tech are going to be tough matches,” Black said. “We just need to continue to play well in singles and elevate our doubles.”

Freshmen aid GV in Saginaw Valley takedown

A strong start helped propel the Grand Valley State University women’s tennis team to a 7-2 victory over GLIAC rival Saginaw State University on Tuesday.

The No. 15-ranked Lakers were looking to get back on track after suffering their first loss of the season to Wayne State University on Sunday, a goal they easily accomplished.

“We knew we had to step it up and come ready to play today,” said sophomore Anne Marie Morin. “We can’t take anything for granted.”

With Morin’s words in mind, GVSU came into the match with the mindset compete hard, regardless of who the opponent is or what the score is.

As the first serve went up the air, GVSU displayed energy after picking up wins at No. 2 and No. 3 doubles. Junior Allison Fecko and senior Alyssa Lucas defeated the Cardinals 8-0, while the sophomore duo of Lexi Rice and Niki Shipman won their match 8-1.

“From Sunday to [Tuesday] we really turned it around,” said Jon Black, GVSU head coach. “I feel like we’re starting to reach our form, and we got strong performances from our freshmen today.”

Tara Hayes and Morin dropped their doubles match 7-9, but kept the momentum on the Lakers’ side in a battle that went down to the wire.

“Personally, I think I did better today. I really wanted to focus on moving forward and being more aggressive than I was on Sunday,” Morin said.

The consistent play in doubles by the entire team helped GVSU relax, and build a lead it would not relinquish.

“Anytime we have a lead after doubles it’s huge because it takes pressure off of our singles matches,” Black said. “Then we know we only have to win three of our singles matches, and we feel like we can beat anyone in the conference once we have the lead.”

As the day continued, GVSU kept their “step it up” mindset alive, dropping only one match during singles play. Freshmen Kristina Lucas and Kali Phillips helped shut the door on the Cardinals with strong performances, winning 6-1, 6-0 and 6-0, 6-0 respectively.

“We were all excited to get back on the court, and wanted to redeem ourselves after the loss,” said junior Alyssa Lucas. “We all played well today. Everyone did their part, and the freshmen Kali and Kristina played tough, which was great.”

With the win, the Lakers improve to 3-1 while Saginaw Valley falls to 0-3. GVSU hopes to build off their total team effort this weekend as they compete at ITA Regional Tournament in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Women fall to Wayne State after strong weekend homestand

In the first week of competition, the Grand Valley State University’s women’s tennis team had to deal with something it did not encounter all of last season — a regular season loss.

The Lakers opened the season with two consecutive wins over GLIAC foes the University of Findlay and Tiffin University before dropping a hard fought match against Wayne State University Sunday.

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With the Wayne State loss aside, there were some bright moments in this weekend’s play, including two dominating wins over the Oilers and Dragons and a come-from-behind three-set win from sophomore Lexi Rice.

“We went 2-1 on the weekend and had two good wins,” said GVSU head coach John Black. “I don’t think we’ve reached our full potential yet. We just need to keep working hard. It’s a gradual process, and hopefully we will get another shot at Wayne during the conference tournament.”

The Lakers came out rolling on Friday behind strong play from sophomores Niki Shipman and Rice at No. 3 doubles and ended the day with a 9-0 sweep.

On Saturday, the team once again came out strong, defeating Tiffin by a score of 8-1 and sweeping in doubles competition. Singles was equally as strong, led by a 6-0, 6-0 victory from junior Allison Fecko.

Sunday’s back and forth match against Wayne State spanned almost four hours with the Lakers coming up short, suffering a 5-4 defeat. GVSU started the match by dropping two of its doubles matches, giving Wayne State momentum heading into singles competition.

Alyssa Lucas, Anne Marie Warren and Rice were victorious singles matches, but it wasn’t enough to give GVSU the win.

“I was frustrated by all the little mistakes I was making,” said Rice, who won her singles match in a tie-break. “She was tough, but I told myself I wasn’t going to lose."

Looking forward, GVSU knows they have to continue to play hard and can’t get caught up in the loss.

“All the matches were close. It’s just a matter of eliminating a few mistakes. We’ll get them during conference,” said Rice.

The team will be back in action Tuesday at Saginaw Valley State University at 2 p.m.