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.

Courtesy Archive Photo

“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.

Teams wash cars for Make-A-Wish Foundation

Competing for championships is a yearly expectation for Grand Valley State University’s athletic program, but what Laker fans do not often realize is being an athlete at GVSU involves more than just game play.

Each year Laker athletes spend countless hours away from sports to participate in community service projects.

Courtesy of Coach Jones

On Saturday, the GVSU men’s and women’s cross country and track and field teams hosted a car wash and donated the proceeds to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

“When we do events like this, it shows everyone that we’re not just all about sports, we’re involved the community too,” said Jocelyn Kuksa, senior pole vaulter.

The two teams are comprised of 188 athletes, with 150 of them taking part in the community fundraiser. The car wash took place at four different locations, including McDonald’s in Allendale, Arby’s in Standale, Advanced Auto Parts in Jenison and Walgreen’s in Grandville.

The athletes raised about $1,300 for charity.

“We used to do a car wash as a fundraiser for our team, but two years ago we decided to give back to Make-a-Wish Foundation,” said GVSU assistant coach Steve Jones. “Overall, it was a very successful day. You can’t always judge an event like this by its monetary outcome because it’s something that our athletes embrace and love doing together.”

Jones said community service is integral to Division II athletics, because it helps with character building.

“It’s not just [the cross country and track] teams, all the teams do something,” he said. “[Women’s] basketball went down to Alabama to help with tornado relief and football volunteers at a camp.”

Aside from benefiting the Make-a Wish Foundation, the car wash helps GVSU athletes improve team chemistry, build character and prepare for life after their playing days are over.

“We are a big group, so an event like this allows us the chance to bond and get the chance to know each other a little bit better,” said Tyler Emmorey, senior distance runner. “I like doing things like this because I actually get to see it pay off in the community.”

For some student athletes, giving back to organizations means helping out a cause near to their hearts.

“I have some family and friends who are sick, so to take time out of my day to give back to people who need it is good,” Kuska said.

At the same time, Kuksa knows that giving back to the Make-a-Wish Foundation and the team bonding are the two main goals, but they also gain new fans and bring positive publicity to GVSU by working in the community.

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.

Courtesy Archive Photo

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.

Courtesy Archive Photo

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.

Cross country looks to use depth and experience to build on success

Behind 2010 National Coach of the Year Jerry Baltes, the Grand Valley State University men’s and women’s teams reached new heights last season. The women brought home their first NCAA National Championship, and the men finished third in the nation.
 
Looking ahead to the 2011 season, Baltes said last year’s success has given the Lakers confidence and experience to build on their winning ways.

Courtesy Archive Photo

“The expectation for both teams is to focus on the day-to-day process and work hard,” he said. “If we can do that, the rest will take care itself, and hopefully we’ll be competing for national titles on Nov. 19.”

Despite ending the season on top of the proverbial mountain, the women’s team was ranked No. 2 in the Division II preseason poll, trailing Western State College. The men’s team, however, starts out the season right where they finished last year.

The women’s team graduated some key contributors from last season’s national championship team, but has plenty of athletes who are ready to step up. Most notably, the team returns four runners who finished in the Top 32 at the national meet.

“Anytime you lose seniors it’s hard, but we’re not going to dwell on what we lost,” Baltes said. “We have ladies who did not finish in the top seven last year, but now they’re right there. They’re hungry to win.”

As defending national champions, the girls know their opponents will come at them hard, but that’s just added motivation to keep improving.

“I hope our team can expand on what we did last year,” said senior Monica Kinney. “We have a target on our back, that’s hard, but we have experience and confidence in each other. We know we have what it takes to win.”

The men are coming off of their best finish in program history, and hope to improve on that mark in 2011. With virtually the entire team returning from last year, and a roster loaded with fifth-year seniors, expectations are high. Leading the way will be 2010 Midwest Region Player of the Year, Tyler Emmorey and fellow senior Anthony Witt.

“This team’s strength is definitely our depth and experience,” Baltes said. “Hopefully we can use both to help compete for a national championship.”

However, the men know that experience and depth alone are not going to be enough to win a national title.
“My goals and everyone else’s goals are to improve individually and as a team each day,” said senior Paul Zielinski. “If we put in the work we can reach our goal to bring home a national championship.”

Not only do both teams have the goal to make noise on the national scene by competing at the national championships, but they also want bring home conference championships. Laker cross-country teams have exhibited dominance over the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) in recent years. The men and women have won nine and ten GLIAC titles, respectively.

“Every year it’s our goal to compete and win conference, regional and national titles, but it’s important to remember we can’t focus on the end result,” Baltes said.

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