>> Welcome back to an all-new episode of the Grand Valley State Sports report here in Wgu.

I'm your host Steve Lloyd Jones.

And here's what we have coming up for you tonight.

Laker football celebrated homecoming in styles.

They continue their undefeated season in Allendale.

Also highlight a few of the teen seniors in our feature this week.

The issue women soccer hit the road across the Midwest for a pair of games maker volleyball battle at home in a pair of games and will update you on the men's basketball team as they hit the hardwood for the first time this season walking in Laker Nation as the Grand Valley State Sports report starts right now.

Back in Allendale Saturday afternoon the GSU football team took on northern Michigan for homecoming.

Matt Mitchell screw blew out the visitors.

56 to 3 and approved 18 overall and 3.

No in the Gliac as he joins me now.

Mitch welcome.

And I think a lot of teams coming off the big win.

You've got the week before.

They may have been flat other than a couple of series here there you guys were not.

>> You know, we came out really much to write a play.

And I, you know, give our players a lot of credit for that, too.

I think one of our motion leaders right now is Jordan Davis.

He really made sure that that was going to happen.

And that, you know, I think we're kind of seeing a little bit of the end stretch of black play with 4 games remaining.

I think this team wants to has a lot to accomplish.

So they knew that it was going to important that we try to go for know these last 4 games and you can go for a less you want to know.

And so was really a point of emphasis that we get off to a really good start.

>> Well, you certainly did that by way of special teams with a big place.

We're looking at highlights defense.

Hold after a punt.

>> Does a nice job you're going to get back and then boy, it sterile Johnson, explosive play 87 Yards.

Yeah, it's great to get going.

You know, wind was a factor in the game Saturday.

And so, you know, when you're when they're putting with the wind, there's kind of the yin and the yang to that.

But the good part for us is that the punt travels further as more separation between the return of the coverage.

And Darrell has the ability to take went to the house, but just as we have those opportunities because of how the kicks been going here for the first game.

So we did a really good job of blocking for him.

But he really made some guys miss was really explosive.

And it also Jacob Miller being out, put him back on kickoff return.

We only had 2 kickoff returns on Saturday due to the score.

But here it both those out past the 40 center offense, good field position.

So really good day for him and a special teams.

Overall, I thought we executed really well.

The kickoff team really Pena back.

People tell their defense able against in the field, the punt team and we made all of our extra points and field goal, Stu.

>> By way of 3 points, obviously defense pointing well, for some things to happen.

Offense definitely got to go in 268 yards on the ground to 10 through the air.

I mean, that's even as you make switches and personnel throughout that game.

>> Just assess may be offensive.

Lee, how it all went for you yet.

Now we're really excited about how well we're in the football and I think is unique because we have a lot of different ball cares what they talked about, our staff meetings and we've got some kids that are really run the ball harder, finishing runs that are very strong runners, obviously, they know is about to wreak reject preventer.

They're playing really well.

But, you know, Avery Moore, same thing comes in a kind of provide that spark, but also to win, talk about Kyle not and Cody tyranny.

They had some runs and some catches afterwards where they're really kind of fallen fort.

And so a lot of different guys get involved and they are tied.

And I think it's a great for tight ends of all of our tight inside a reception drew Peterson gets his first touchdown from every more.

It's also his first touchdown pass, right, which was at the end of that into the half.

And I thought that was really critical.

Serious for team.

We've got to stop a fourth-down northern Michigan aside to try to go for midfield on 4th down.

We get that big defensive stop and we executed 2 minute drill, kind of 2 different quarterbacks and get a touchdown which extend lead to 35 to 3 heading into halftime.

>> Yes, creative clock management by northern will leave it at that that you guys took full advantage.

Speaking of that running game, John, take Crawford gets 51 yards.

It Marino here and heart, too.

So I mean, this this group is so deep.

>> Yeah, I think was also the opportunity this late in the season, the it came to be able to get him pretty, you know, the entire second unit of the offensive line titans in the backs and had some a new receivers out there.

And so there was a series where, you know, we made a conscious decision to run our offense.

And I think you saw Callanen caught the really nice ball, George Johnson for exposed to play and hit a couple of the guys.

Gavin cost you one of our tight ends on a on a route into the boundary the last years we've got to back.

You know, we just want to run it pretty much every time and use a 40nd play clock.

And we did a really good job running.

I thought our money showed some really good feel again to continue to there and was excited for him to that.

He was able to get his first rushing touchdown of his college career.

And so, you know, they still had a lot of their starters out there on the events.

And so for us to take that, that crew out there do that.

And, you know, as you mention, too, for our second level, second unit of defense to be able to preserve that shutout was really important to, you know, hold somebody out of the end zone is really difficult to do in college football and you want to gloss over the fact of our entire defensive performance from top down from our starters down to some of our guys will play a lot.

>> Yeah.

Talk more about that because Sunday's film session, you guys hold reserves of the steam to standard your depth that showing up all year long.

So a lot of guys getting to play.

What are you saying to them here is are coming in with quality minutes.

Yeah, I would.

Obviously we're trying to praise the standard when they play.

Well, we're talking about that when they don't play well, we let him know.

And, you know, we still have >> opportunities.

You don't know what's going to happen here in regards to injuries, you know.

And so every one of those opportunities got to be precious.

You can't view in a certain way.

We don't view that as coaches opportunity to go out and get it done again, like we're doing it against pretty much northern starting offense starting defensive.

So there's some validity of their performance that they're playing well, that just continues to provide that depth.

I think it's important that protects us in our program as we get down the stretch in the regular season.

If a head injury were to occur.

>> Touch on regional rankings.

They won't be rankings this week.

They will be who's being considered right.

Tell us about that.

>> Yeah.

Championships committee and say made a decision to us that of a rain come with 3 weeks out just to put the 10 teams that are in or under consideration alphabetical order.

I think the primaries and do that is because football is a lot different than other sports, not as many contests.

And you can have a lot of movement in the last 3 weeks and they want to make sure that that increase of confusion.

That team was maybe, you know, ranked and then fell out or vice versa.

I do it out of medically.

I think it tells people he's in a consideration and giving us a preview of what the next weeks coming up.

So, yeah, that process is started basically the 3 weeks left in the regular season.

That's going to go get were in control of our own destiny for that and it's going to start with Michigan Tech this weekend.

>> Yeah, talk about them because you're going to go to tac weather on Halloween weekend.

Doesn't look too scary, but you're going to have it's a road trip.

You got to bring your own energy focus the like.

>> And they nearly knocked off fares this week.

Yeah, played first.

Extremely close.

Right down to the 4th quarter and the end up losing.

22 20 played great defensively and then we'll arc other senior quarterback feels like a super senior.

It's been around for a long time here.

Really threw the ball around and they did an effective job.

Didn't run the ball as much.

They really tried to go to work in the pass game.

So it's a you know, it's a team much you can tell.

He's really strong.

Culture is very competitive file.

I'm I really anticipate make sure our guys ready for that because, again, I'm not going make too much of the road trip and we'll talk more about tech and the fact that they went down to Big Rapids and really showed up with a chip on their shoulder and played a really, really hard for 4 quarters.

I know that we're going to get that same efforts.

So again, like that's going to be really the point of emphasis is going to be a physical football game.

I think the defensive quarter, Brian Thomas, who played her Grand Valley, does a great job, courting that defense are going bring something new and unique at us.

We've got to be prepared for that.

And we really can't let will arc start to get hot.

We've got to make sure that we do a good job with the coverage and potentially, you know, the pressure piece of making sure that he does not get his arm on fire and he did.

That will be the first Africans first.

>> Well, every week Grande Valley's the red letter game right to face that each and every time you play an opponent.

Mitch, obviously great job.

Thank you and good luck this week.

Okay.

Thanks.

We'll be right back here in the Grand Valley State Sports report as we continue here in the U for the 17th consecutive fall season.

The GV issue soccer team claimed ugly acts championed ship.

The whole team squad split weekend pair of games falling to Wisconsin Parkside before Downing Purdue Northwest, which will teen is here now to talk about that coach.

Welcome.

Thanks.

So you know, you get these 2 on the road.

Weather changes can happen.

You go into these matches.

Everybody is gunning for you and that Wisconsin parkside to to get you a 3, 1, score.

Talk about this.

You're telling me off air.

Sometimes the game is it's just not fair.

>> Yeah, it's it's kind of a cruel, cruel sport.

I think we gave up 3 shots on goal and all 3 women and we dominated in possession, dominated in nearly every statistical area and just couldn't really find the back of the net more than once weather played a part in it.

But, you know, the game's pretty fair when you get to go both directions.

And we just we couldn't find a way on Friday.

But I think it's it was it was OK for us week.

We needed to, you know, a humbling experience of it's a little bit of humility in their life.

>> You know, number from not Parkside Beach Grand Valley, 3, 1, Kennedy burdened with the goal of the 64th minute.

Keep around.

Nice pass there to her.

How did you react to that?

What's it like the tie after the game?

You know, shocked with what the fight.

And I think it's.

>> For a team with the history that this team has.

It's hard, but we do have to go through losses.

I think we would have been silly to think we can get through this whole season without, you know, dropping a game or 2 were really young, got a lot of fresh faces.

I think, you know, it was it was kind of a good moment and a little bit of a wake-up call for for us to just, you know, reset, refuel and, you know, get back at it on Sunday.

>> Well, you certainly did to OU playing Purdue Northwest, a 2 run that record to 11 to one for 9, 1, 3, in the gliac.

So you come back in some some players getting goals that maybe don't normally do that to.

That was nice.

>> Yeah, it was nice that that the wind was unbelievable in the game yesterday.

Really hard to kind of play pretty soccer.

But our defenders actually score goals yesterday, one off of Pkm one off an incredible shot from distance by Lexi.

So that was fun.

You know, I think again, we we have plenty of shots, plenty of opportunities to see that continue to work, to find the back of the net.

And I think we'll continue to work on that this week.

And hopefully you can find back then a little bit more.

>> Yeah, the team getting a 202 mil blanking of Purdue Northwest there.

So it's Davenport.

It's one game this time of year.

You're probably glad for that.

Rest the legs a little bit, right?

>> Yeah, we we need some.

We need some rest.

We need to be able to play everyone which we're going to be able to do on on Friday.

Now that we sort of lockdown the gliac and we know are hosting round in the first the quarter finals of the tournament.

We'll be able to play quite a few people on Friday and and we'll play.

We'll play great talker.

But we need to rest some players.

>> How do you give the players a mental break?

I do that.

>> It pays off.

We typically use Tuesday's as our mental break.

We call it.

You know, I'm not a player.

We play soccer but we don't teach you.

Don't coach.

Just let him play and let them have fun.

Lot of them let them in Choi the game and compete and then Wednesdays we teach.

So we try to give them a little bit of a brain break on Tuesday so that they can coming on Wednesday and they know that we're going to learn and get better on Wednesdays.

>> Yeah, and within I get off camera talking about the regional rankings and how a lot of the top teams were not able to win 2 games.

And so you really didn't lose any ground there.

>> We didn't.

It was crazy.

I think, you know, from from all divisions, vision, Wandavision to all over the country.

The top teams struggled this weekend.

And I have something to do is just that time of year and you know, the team sort of at the bottom and are getting better as well.

So that show some growth throughout the country.

But, yeah, we didn't lose much ground, which is a good thing, but we all need to continue to get better.

>> Well, you've said before on the show, how there's a lot of parity in this conference.

But there isn't a huge separation.

And that's a good example.

>> It is.

It is.

And you've got like Michigan Tech.

But the beginning the season, they dropped a ton of games and they're starting to climb back in and they've they've come up with some really great results are really well coach.

So I think I think the teams are are well coached.

Got great players.

It's fun.

It makes a conference challenging.

It makes it very rewarding to be able to win the conference outright knowing that the conference is getting stronger.

Yes, 17th consecutive fall.

It's not a lot.

I didn't know that regard the Maze.

Yeah, or I didn't know that going into yesterday and we could clinch yesterday, but I didn't know is going to be for the 17th time and I I am am cloudy.

Then that I feel like that would be an added pressure.

>> Is it typical to get a lot this time of year, mentally physically it everybody's been grinding for a long time.

You know, the postseason is coming, but you're not there yet.

Is it the everybody kind of hit that?

>> I think everyone does.

And I think one, it's you know, how much depth you have to how much seniority of you have too much leadership.

And, you know, our our team, they've said it outright.

They they miss home like Ajo their their a little bit homesick right now.

So we're trying to do a lot of family stuff.

We've got the whole team coming over for dinner tomorrow night to do Halloween.

Think so.

They're they're tired, but what will fight through it and push through it?

>> Well, your job is, you know, the fight to get the split, winning the conference, setting yourself up pretty nicely regional rankings as well.

So great to talk to the case you.

We'll be right back.

As the Grand Valley State Sports report continues here at Wgu.

>> The Grand Valley State men's basketball team opened its 2020 to 23 season with a 90 to 76 loss.

An exhibition against Division one Oakland on Thursday night in Rochester Hills, the Lakers top scorers Trevon Gunter.

He scored 20 with a strong night from behind the arc making 6 of Us 10, 3 point attempts.

Austin James and I said Carver Bagley made a pair of 3 pointers.

Each Naidoo Kingsley economy led the way on the glass for the Lakers finishing with 9 rebounds while also adding 7 points on the night to get you out.

Rebounded open, winning the battle of the boards.

46 to 38.

The Lakers return to the court with an exhibition against Eastern Michigan on Thursday.

It's a landing at 07:00PM Tipoff.

>> The devious U Volleyball team.

Welcome to Michigan Tech in northern Michigan over the weekend.

The Lakers drop hard fought contest of both have joined now by head coach Jason Johnson to talk about it.

Welcome coach.

Thanks to so hard fought.

These are close mean you've got things going down to the wire but credit the opposition they made the plays.

You guys are learning through this.

Talk about your thoughts, both of these matches their home and you wanted a bad way.

Yeah, you know, I think it was an important weekend for us.

You know, scene where the conference of sitting heading into the weekend were to 2 games out of first place or 2 matches.

You know, I I didn't feel like we have the focus and energy on Friday night that we needed to compete.

I thought there's a little more desperation by Michigan Tech.

A little more focus on more aggressiveness when they came into the gym.

I got her kids work through some of the the issues they had, but ultimately just came up short.

You know, I think one of the things we've talked about all season long has been our serve, receive passing the ball control and butter is really good this weekend, probably the best to match as we put together all season.

But, you know, Friday night, the the amount of attack errors that we had really became again, a big problem for us not being able to keep the ball play enough and on forest attackers to.

I think they correct me.

I think they ended up with 4 blocks against us in that match and we had 28 hitting errors.

I believe so.

That's 24 errors that they didn't do anything.

We were either hit into the net or out of bounds.

That point.

>> Yeah.

The tech attack percentage was good.

You're right.

You with that at some heirs or Kendall Stover 13 kills for you.

Gianna Primus with 11 kills and 4 blocks.

>> Yeah, again, individually we had some good performances.

It's just it has to be a collective effort.

You know, I think are serving hasn't been quite as strong as I would've liked last couple weeks, which is a lot of other teams to run some of the offensive sets.

They want to run and not putting them as much under pressure.

But overall, like I said, it's it comes down to an execution consistently throughout a set.

But more importantly, last 5 points of any set up to drop that to a match to Michigan Tech.

Very one that you're taking on Northern Michigan.

Again, very good team.

You're fighting back and forth with them.

You know, come back in this match, decisive 5th set and they put a little run together right at the end to it would take the match.

Yeah, you know, it's a first set.

We, you know, didn't finish off the set the way we should have lose a 26 24.

But in a close first set and then turn around second side, definitely kind of fell apart.

Things were going well, we were struggling to get under control of what we're doing, whether it's our transition offense or even with our defense, trying to give yourself some of the additional opportunities got into the 3rd set, we made a lineup change, put a senior middle and Medicaid and I felt like her energy water box score doesn't show it her energy.

Her connectivity with their teammates work ethic when she was on the floor.

Just made a difference for those next 2.

And no 3 sets that she was in, you know, but ultimately set 5 came down to a 12, 12 tie.

And, you know, we had 3 attack airs at the end of that match.

If I remember correctly, all 3 of them wrote about.

So it wasn't something that we put in play made them make a block against us.

It was something that we just we couldn't eat, stay clean enough in the last 5 points, but credit to northern, you know, getting up to and then down to the next through 3, 4, And we were up for in the 5th set as well and then became a very good set all the way up until 12 12.

And we just got a little law, you know, a little erratic with our attacking at that point.

>> And northern winds of 3 sets to to individually Jordan Gate scandal Stover Sarah White all played very well.

What you're going into a tough week on the road here had Davenport Tuesday, Fair State Friday.

What is the overall message?

You you're saying your team right here?

>> Well, it's again, it's it's rebounding compete.

You know, we've been trying to get on our kids all season long about just the level of competitiveness that it takes to be a top, you know, top 4 top 3 team in the conference.

And it's it's a focus.

It's an energy.

It's a inability to stay within the set each set and not give those emotional ups and downs throughout.

But it's it's no different heading into Davenport.

We've got to be able to regroup, talk about the adjustments we need to make both defensively as well as on our offense and then look to be competitive.

When you walk into that gym against Davenport, you're not going to show up in just win a match.

You've got to show up and work for it.

And you know, you're going to go through.

Ebbs and flows of the game of volleyball is so crazy with momentum shifts.

Say it all the time.

You can beat a team.

25 to 5 and a sudden you start 0, 0, said Yeah, you don't carry anything over with you like a basketball or football game does.

So it requires you to focus back in and start over again.

Every single time you finish the set the positive like our match on Saturday as you go down 2 and still get yourself back into it as well.

My hope would be that we are able to get off to a good start and we did our place against Davenport.

And I hope that we can do the same thing on the road.

But again, it's going to take a lot for kids to be able to walking that gym on the road and competed a level necessary to win.

>> Well, 14 to 10 the overall record.

76 within the conference that Davenport at for State this week.

Good luck with his coach.

Appreciates a ship.

Don't go away.

The Grand Valley State Sports report will return in a moment.

GSU football remains undefeated this year and a key component to their success is their senior leaders stepping up on both sides of the ball.

Tom Cleary has the story for us.

>> While it often seems the faces of Grand Valley football change in mask every year this year, Matt Mitchell has gotten plenty out of some of his oldest campaigners.

One such example is Jack preventer.

We first took to the field in 2018 and he's in the best form of his career with a 78 yard.

Touchdown run to his credit and 2 more TDs last week in the Laker win at Ferris State.

>> He was Super electric.

Super fast.

Yeah.

I mean he played played at a high level really high level on Saturday and we need our best for best performance.

He came through with that.

>> In his first college ear preventer scored 12 touchdowns and ran for over 600 yards.

They tailed off in 2019 and saw limited play last year when he was passed in the pecking order to carry on Kean, Vz n to recreate.

>> You know, younger perform.

And then you have guys like like Bach into regular playing really well at the time.

And so just kind of punt kind of deal with.

But, you know, just just enter the process.

And obviously things are working out pretty long.

Hopefully they continue to work out well.

>> Lakers senior who's been around college football just as long as preventer is defensive, end a Long Island.

Native, spent 3 years in the Big 10 in Minnesota before returning home to be part of one of the deepest position groups Grande Valley.

>> We just got a good group of guys.

We have liked.

I mean, 10 guys that we can plan the D line that all really good football player.

So it's a good group.

We're all really close together.

They get along well and you can see it on the field, obviously us from Allendale.

So your Grand Valley really well grew up going to games, you know, last year played great and defensive tackle.

And then with the parts of a couple defensive and some kind of where out defensive ends, we had a conversation with him and basically said, you know what, you might moving out to defensive and for this last year and he was all for it.

>> Grand Valley may have been a D 2 playoff team last season that one 10 times what a pair of pink the losses to share a stage show the Lakers just how far they were from where they want to be.

But this year determine senior class pardoned by the disappointments of the past is doing its best to go out on top.

>> I'd say the big thing is they just been, you know, just to collect a brotherhood and everyone everyone trust each other, too kind of make the play when one is their time.

I think we just never lose faith in anyone.

You know, we've all 3 phases offense, defense, special teams.

We all believe in each other all the time.

No matter how tough it gets, we're not going to break.

They were really close group.

And you saw on the field.

>> You know, I think some continuity has helped guards her coaching staff.

And I think that COVID year was really big.

Take on to bring guys closer with enough to spend a lot of time in regards to competition that year.

And so we spent a lot more time on relationships.

And I think that that's too soon for that.

My guys stick around.

>> Well, there was once a time in college sports when many of the best team, same senior oriented these days.

There's a lot of players who for various reasons never exhaust their eligibility this year.

Grande Valley, Jacqui Ventura, Nate, a lor.

We have demonstrated time and again, like good things often come to those who wait make themselves better while doing so.

That's a great dry jack.

Beautiful run.

The Grand Valley State sports report.

I'm top clearing jurors going to win standing up for the touchdown.

>> Well, that's all the time that we have this week here in the Grand Valley State Sports report Laker football will hit the road to the up for a matchup against Michigan Tech game.

Time is set for 01:00PM from Holt, Michigan TV issue.

Women Soccer will take on a cross town rival Davenport in their regular season finale.

This Friday kickoff is set for 07:00PM for that.

Baker Volleyball finds himself entering a 3 game week.

We'll start close to home with a road matchup against Davenport on Tuesday with for service.

07:00PM.

Next.

They'll head up the Big Rapids for a road game against the Fair State Bulldogs on Friday, October 28th game time for that one is set for 05:00PM to round out the weekend.

The team will return home and take on Lake Superior State on Saturday.

October 29th first serve from the GSU Fieldhouse Arena is set for 4 o'clock for upcoming games as well as live broadcast of every Laker athletic program.

Visit GSU Lakers dot com for more of the show.

Head over to our YouTube channel at YouTube Dot com Slash Wgu.

35 make sure you hit the subscribe button to get updated videos and highlights all year long for the entire crew here.

Wg vu.

I'm Steve Lloyd-Jones have a great week Laker Nation and as always, a corrupt