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

I'm your host, Steve Lloyd Jones.

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

Laker football travel to the up and continued their undefeated season against Michigan Tech TV issue.

Women soccer secured a win in their regular season finale.

I will look to the postseason this week.

Laker volleyball won 2 of 3 last week and will wrap up the regular season this weekend.

And our future highlights the women's swimming and diving team as their season is underway.

Rocket in Laker Nation as the Grand Valley State Sports report starts right now.

Well, the 2022 Laker football schedule has called for trips west to Colorado and eastern Massachusetts.

Saturday Gvs you headed north to the up for battle with Michigan Tech.

That Mitchell's team overwhelm the Huskies.

42 to 7 as they close out the month of October 9 and the number one team in the country.

Mitch, good to have you.

Man.

Long trip.

Maybe felt like the longest of all.

Haven't.

We've flown to the West to the East Long bus ride.

But you guys made the trip brought along everything.

You needed a motion focus.

>> Great place.

Yeah was.

I think like the first when we started the game I think is variable Matic of kind of a gram about football's about right now.

Great complementary football.

We started with great kickoff coverage again.

Michigan Tech was 10th the nation kickoff return average.

We really good job on the opening kickoff covering kicks.

Get the 3 and out of defense come in a partially blocked punt.

Give the ball to offense in the 43 go down and score.

So I mean, I think that's kind of over about all 3 phases plan together.

There's no one star, no one side of the ball.

We're very bounce football team.

And on a little bit of a micro level, we take a look at jail until Wednesday along with Cape Peterson's day.

But specifically take a look at Jalen.

We're down a couple key receiver said due to injuries that are out for the game and for him to step up and have those 10 catches for most 200 yard receiving and for K Peter Dundas keep K Pietersen to step in and set a school record for completion percentage with only one incomplete pass I thought was really was really good.

Thinks we can help our team for for those guys and their confidence to make plays like that.

>> Yeah, you're right.

Individual numbers as you've referenced her Jalen Tillman, 10 catches 191 yards officially one TV according to the had a great day to receiving 5 grabs 106 yards.

One score k Pietersen.

As you said, 8 of 19, 304 yards, 2 touchdowns.

He was not sacked in the game.

No interceptions.

And the 100 the one incompletion was a great throw.

That just didn't quite connect in the end zone.

>> Yeah, obviously, like he's been playing great down the stretch here.

You know, I think he's got a really good sense of when to run the wind kind of scramble.

Some of his rush, most of his Russians were often scrambles to get the offensive line, a tremendous amount of credit for not giving up those sacks and keeping clean pockets.

And then he finds what things are kind of covered up a table, if you will, out of there because protection is good and take off to expose runs.

But I think more they think Saturday, you know, he threw the ball extremely well down the field, but there's also some crossing routes and some other routes kind over the middle that he threw really well that we've been really trying to work on that right?

Open things up.

You know, clearly I think we're top 10 in the nation.

Turns are rushing offense.

I think everybody kind of knows that were built that way.

Stop the run, run the ball.

But for us to have that type of day, the passing game, especially because converting some 3rd Long's after some families got us backed up.

I think we'll have residual effects potentially when opponents watch your team because we're not just one but one-dimensional offense.

Do it right.

Big pickups on 3rd and long.

>> You know the running attack, as you said, 237 yards in this game.

But you get it from a variety of people and a variety of ways.

It's not necessarily a between the tackles all the time.

Kyle not lead you with 76 yards and 3 runs and along a 51 for a score.

But the Peterson so good running, of course to reprieve.

He's in there leading the way.

So lot of different people.

A lot of different ways.

>> Yeah.

And again, I could say we are using different people are really proud of how might we had.

No Darryl Johnson had a big week a return or he was out with an injury.

Socalled not steps.

It does really good job with kickoff return a punt return which is key and then have the reverse which is huge.

And then a fortune had one call back where he threw a pass to Kate Pierson and exposed to play school.

So college kind of a Swiss army knife does lot of things.

But you know, we talk about our tailbacks tree creed is the belt.

The you know, the bell cow together, we lean on object.

Prevent your head injury, the games without really proud of redshirt freshman Armani, Marino.

We're a step in it for he's he's kind of close games out, but its first in-game action and even more continues to be somebody that, you know, we really lean on.

We came up with a package, especially down in the red zone, both Cade and even the backfield, Avery on the first one, runs a pen and pulled for a touchdown.

Then we hand it off and he throws a little bit of a play action pass after receiving at 2 out to Jaylan Tillman.

So different weapons in the backfield.

We're just trying to utilize our guys to get offensive.

Skill positions are injured.

We have some injuries there.

No excuse.

I think we've done a great job both within the staff and players of guys stepping up to fill some of those voids.

And we do a really good job of the game planning process to try to highlight players and takes a load off some guys that, you know have have played but are not playing right now.

>> That's the offensive story of both the defense and the 7 points allowed.

And this is a a veteran kind of experienced set of skill players for tech, maybe not the offensive line's they've had in the past.

But you've got will arc who has as much experience a quarterback as anybody's in the top 5 and historically in their quarterbacks that you hold him way down.

Various Willis is a really good playmaker for the special teams wide receiver.

Talk about your defense.

What you like here in how you tried to combat all of that.

>> Yeah, I think to be Michigan Tech did a really good job of making sure will act did get hit.

They were very but a lot of great things of formations and quick passing game and it's spread out some different things to try to predict.

I think one of Rob probably really one of the key places we were able to have great coverage and Anthony Carnival redshirt freshman gets a huge factor.

I think that kind of change the nature that drive a little bit.

But you know about Michigan Tech, they're very intelligent, try to protect him.

One thing I say is that happened.

A lot of us up to the second 2nd half is on some of those shorter throws because it didn't push the ball down the field much brought ashore to throw Steve a lot of pass breakups.

We were right there with great coverage when the ball was thrown, where there's a lot of incompletions because of tight coverage.

And so that was really good to see because we have we have hit some quarterbacks.

We've done some things with sacks that wasn't necessarily U.S. act.

It was more of a try to defend the pass PD.

You type a day and we definitely came up with that while not letting the run game get going.

The only run they really had.

What will our Katya explosive run that led to one of their touchdowns.

It was really more than anything.

Couple of defenders kind of got knocked off a guy's at the point of attacks and kept things going to happen and that's football.

So that was only scoring drive.

But, you know, give our offense really a lot of credit.

You know, one of the drive that kind of got a little bit going and they punch that they put it down to the 2.

We took a 98 yards after scoring drive our offense answered.

And then with a 21 to 7 lead to halftime, become out the 2nd half on a scoring drive to open up.

>> I think that really kind of changed the dynamic of the game, especially in the 3rd quarter.

The 3rd quarter you had the ball seemed like the entire quarter scored a couple of touchdowns as took it right out of them.

All right.

I don't know the overall record going to be a number one ranking within the region as that comes out this week, it swing state at home.

Second time around.

It'll be a 3 o'clock kick and special note about this game.

Also celebration of the championship team first for Grande Valley in their history and too.

>> Yeah, a lot of good things happened Saturday beyond just the football game which we're excited about.

Weather looks good.

So bring the 2000, you know, 2 national champions, the first want to grab our history and then also senior day for us to you know, I have a lot of respect for our senior class of they've been through.

A lot of them mentioned that on the show.

Have a read.

Sure your plus the COVID your love.

These guys have been here 6 years and committed to him.

Really happy that they're having the season.

There are want to try to give them special warts.

A lot of things going on.

Weather looks great.

You know, again, play waste for second time.

This is the second time that's kind of happened with ugly acts scheduling.

So, you know, they've got a lot of tight games, really a lot of close losses.

They coming off a bye week.

Maybe it will healed up.

We take nothing for granted a Grande Valley.

So get ready to attack him and attacked the day on Saturday to try to, you know, have some surprises ready?

No doubt about that.

It's great to talk to you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

>> We'll be right back.

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

It was another busy week for GB issue.

Volleyball with matches a Davenport and at Ferris State before a home tilt with Lake Superior State Lakers finished 2, 1, against those opponents said coach Jason Johnson joins me now.

It's great to have you had to be there very solid week here.

A lot of 2 of the 3 matches on the road.

But you perform very well.

Talk about your thoughts overall.

>> I mean, overall, I thought it was a very good we can obviously would have liked to have gotten the wind up at Ferris on Friday night.

I thought our kids played well in order to do that, but just came up a little bit short.

But going back to Tuesday that the board thought it was a really solid effort by our team.

I thought they competed, brought a lot of energy and focus to what we were trying to do and what we're trying to accomplish.

And I thought it a pretty good level.

Did it really well?

And like I said, Friday was, again, a great match.

2 sets at the end of the match that we lose by 2 points and had opportunities to finish that off.

But just a it couldn't quite get it done.

>> Well, you win the getting the Davenport match as we talk about that in detail 3 games to one a and 3 sets to one here.

And boy, Jordan Gates again, leading you through this 15 kills 27 us a 16 day.

>> Again, it's been a consistent with her.

You know, I think she takes pride in it.

The position she's in creating those triple DOT doubles for herself.

But it's but again, it's it's also a testament to our senior center, Rachel Jakway and utilizing Jordan offensive Lee and finding ways to make are successful when she's not setting the ball.

You know, I think the other highlight from that for me was advocate just as the senior as gotten into the starting position over the last couple weeks.

And he's just really infused a lot of positive energy, if you will, but just a commitment to working hard and doing the the little things that don't always show up on a statute.

>> Handle Stover.

And this one 14 kills as well.

Had the 5 digs helping you along 3 to one.

You beat Davenport, pH solid, went on the road there.

You've got your earlier in the year.

So that was good for you to start the week.

So then again, you're on the road and this time about her state, which is tough place to play, obviously very good team.

And you would lose this 3, 3, to 1, 0, just to know your comment afterwards.

You love the intensity, the effort that was shown and you boy, that just a few.

Yes, they do.

And again, I.

>> The week of preparation, we didn't have a lot of time with a midweek match against Davenport.

But I felt like the turnaround from Wednesday Thursday and then heading up to play for Paris on Friday went really well.

I thought the again, the intensity of the match.

I felt the focus of what we're trying to do.

Our kids executed at a pretty well good level.

You know, sets 3, 4, come down to a couple serves in a couple of swings here and there that make a difference.

And any time you lose those 2 point sets, you look back and you're okay, where Where'd could you have done something a little bit different.

And there were a couple little things.

We've talked about it at length this year of staying clean in the last 5 points of the set, not creating as many errors, making sure that you're very clear on the communication what we're doing consistently on the floor.

And I thought our kids did a good job.

But again, just came up a little bit short.

>> Well, you starting to get healthy as you go and you know, so to be able to get back.

Savannah Thompson, as you go through the week, you know, that really helps you Kendall Stover again, 16 kills Jordan Gates has 13 Sarah White, 17, 2000.

This as now you're getting that that full strength of that roster effects really show.

>> Yeah.

And again, our offense has been pretty consistent most of the season now, again, very high number of kills in each set.

But what tends to get us in trouble as we do generate areas as well.

And we've got to learn to clean that up.

I think the difference from earlier in the season to now is our defense coming around, I think are blocking has been better.

I think it showed up very well against Davenport.

I think it was good but not great against Paris.

But then I think our back row defense really made a difference for our team, giving us more opportunities.

Offensively, obviously keeping balls off the floor.

So other teams are not scoring points.

But but I think even our contacts out of those digs are in a better situation where we can transition to better options offensively as well.

>> So the 2 games, 2 matches are on the road to split.

But then you have Lake Superior State and the week that was at home Sunday, 1, 3, 1, here.

And then obviously great stats all across don't really solid way to end the week and and really a high note.

>> Yeah.

And again, it's we did this point weekend a few weeks ago where we play at home against Verison that had to drive up to Lake State on a Saturday.

I think their head coach has been playing very well.

The speed and the tempo of their offense creates a lot of issues for your blocking for your defense.

And I think it took us a little bit of time again to get acclimated.

I think you lose a tough one at Farris and you have to turn it back around on Saturday and get going again and felt or kids did a good job.

Just took a little bit of time to warm themselves up and get going.

But you know, are offensive numbers were fantastic in the match.

I felt like we were on in control of the match.

Most of it.

But it was about battling through some of the difficulties that Lake states create for you.

>> Yeah.

Attack percentage is fantastic.

Blocking Jordan Gates triple-double again in this.

So you get that a victory.

3 won the overall Mark 16, 11, 9, 7, in conference play and you'll have Wayne State in Saginaw Valley to coming up at home Friday, Saturday.

Wind down the regular season.

>> Yes, so this coming weekend, there's a lot on the line as far as seating within the conference tournament.

I think we come into it currently in 6th, but we're one game behind lakes started Wayne State and tied with Michigan Tech.

So in theory, we could have a 3 way tie coming out of the weekend and then we'll go through the tie breaker and see where everybody sits.

But there's a lot on the line this weekend.

You know, senior night on Friday, we're looking forward to celebrating our seniors, but hopefully improving where we're sitting within the conference hoping to get up to that number 4 seed where we can host next Wednesday.

>> Yeah, it's going to be fun.

As you go along here.

It looks like getting healthy.

You guys are starting to turn the corner.

>> Really feels that way.

I hope so.

You know, I think we're playing some of our better volleyball late in the season, which is good.

We shall see as we move forward.

Now, again, maybe the 6 weeks in a row down the road early in the season is going to benefit us because we're going to be on the road as we keep pushing through the season starting next week with the conference tournament.

So again, I think our kids are prepared for it, but now it's about them performing against good teams and under pressure consistently.

Jason, good to have you.

And good luck with those games coming up.

Thank you.

Appreciate it.

>> We'll go away.

The Grand Valley State Sports report will return in a moment with the conference title in hand.

ATVs.

You ready for a date with the Davenport Panthers.

This past Friday, the Lakers powered their way to a 5, 1, victory and head coach.

Katie whole team is here to tell us more.

Welcome.

Katie, thanks.

Good to have you.

5, 1, win in soccer terms that blowout, right.

Haha.

All right.

So tell us about this as this unfolds because the conference title was already decided.

We talked about that last week.

You get a chance to play a lot of players get some rest for others.

So good.

Really good overall.

Game 4?

>> Yeah, it was awesome.

We we talked about finishing the conference regular season strong and that we did.

We were able to play everybody ever got a lot of minutes and some great goals are scored.

We conceded one, but we're really, really happy about the 5 goals scored.

>> Yeah, a couple by Taylor read to by Casey Lauer and the committee burden to Chip Jean.

What the goal as well out shot him 17 for so yeah, a lot of opportunities to.

>> Yet it's fun risk.

I think we scored our first 2 goals in the first minute are so minute and 20 seconds.

Casey Casey scored both of those.

I'm Kasey was on fire.

She had a ton of shot to fix, probably have half of those 17.

So it was fun to see, see some fresh and really step up and and play really well.

>> And should the of the 7 games.

So again, you get a chance to officially end regular season.

You're you're preparing now mentally and physically post season play is ahead.

First time here at Grand Valley.

How how you feel and what what are you thinking as we head into this?

>> I'm I'm excited.

Tournament.

Time is always really exciting.

But it's kind of clean slate for everyone.

So we have to have that mentality that runs coming in, you know, with it kind of a clean slate trying to trying to win the whole thing.

I think the challenge for says it's 3 games in 6 days, which is not normal in college, soccer and soccer at all.

So trying to manage through fatigue, manage through just a lot of minutes.

Heavy lakes.

That will be our biggest challenge this week.

So hopefully we can take care of business early tomorrow against pretty north lassonde Andrus people.

>> You get in the postseason are times where team is trying to knock off somebody who's had their number before.

You can get big adjustments made.

They'll be something completely different.

Is that the case with soccer teams do that?

>> Yeah.

I'm considering where plate every team for the 3rd time.

The 2, which is also just crazy.

There's going to be some adjustments will make adjustments as well.

And it's mostly information that will see a just months being made and maybe a little bit in personnel.

But for the most part, it's it's information I expect ferus to throw something at us if we have to match up with them because they play the same way the first 2 times.

And I think they'll probably start something a little different at us.

>> So you have heard Northwest just time paper, getting your focus time, your team, but other other matchups that interest you just in terms of competitiveness, I mean, jumps out.

I mean, we're.

>> I think we we have to match up with the winner of a I think it's fair, some tax that alone.

I'm really interested in to see to see what that result is.

Kuz Ferris beat us in the final last year.

So that will be and should match up if we get them in the semi.

But I think I think the top half ugly act is he's really good this year and I think it's going to be really competitive.

Final 4.

>> Yeah, attack.

I think you mentioned before they've been kind of on the rightly surging.

They're a tough matchup.

Yeah, of course.

There's always that way.

So that's the 4, 5, matchup potentially face but to take care of business on Tuesday, you were sent off air how this is an unusual scheduling pattern.

You don't do it.

And the other point really in the season's sober people say, well, you're getting rest stays in between.

But explain why this is difficult.

>> I mean, through the numbers out there, we have players that run upwards of 10 miles a game.

So you're asking our players to runs over 30 miles and 6 days with very little rest and recovery.

And that's a challenge.

I mean, last year, I mean, even a marathon runner side doing that.

I think that's the biggest thing.

And you look at the high speed distance that fear you're throwing in there in that 10 miles out.

Is it that is that's a load on a body.

So trying to manage through that fatigue is tough.

By the time you get to Sunday, it's probably not going to be pretty soccer because everyone's going to take not just us, but the opponent is off.

Yeah.

That's that stop and start.

You know what?

Berks running in that kind of thing.

Yeah.

Definitely a challenge.

>> What is what is one thing you're taking away from the regular season?

Is there a message to the team?

Is there a bullet point that you are hammered home?

What are you saying to them?

>> Yeah, I think the big thing right now is is continuing to strive to get better every game.

I think it's really easy towards the end of the game.

Our end of the season to just start to just mentally fatigue.

And so when you're when you're mentally fatigued, it hard to get better.

So we're trying to get better one percent every day and every game, which means we have to stay focused.

And I think another thing we talked about just trying to stay at baseline, not letting our emotions get too high or too low throughout the season or throughout the games because that's when we really see a lull in our place just trying to stay at baseline and trying to stay mentally tuned into a content can continue to get better.

>> 5, 1, victory over Davenport, the overall record, 12, 2, 4, 10, one in 3 in the gliac and that's to look through the year games that they want this week.

Thank you.

We'll be right back here at the Grand Valley State Sports reporters.

We continue at WGU.

>> The NCAA offices are headquartered in Indianapolis and that's where the division to swim and dive championships will be held later this season.

And with the University of Indianapolis Fielding to the top teams in the nation, it probably wasn't a bad thing for Grande Valley to have traveled there recently for a dual meet when the boy says Women squad lost a razor close battle with their host.

Their coach was heartened by the performances of a number of his swimmers, including free statler loosing Headley and Breastroke Specialist Delaney.

We break.

>> Want to see a freshman stepping up in the kind of learn her way as she goes into will be fun to see as the season progresses.

How much faster shipping that with the lady?

She's a seasoned veteran, a senior and just continues to.

>> Show us that she's a top pressure for our team.

Said Lucy and Delaney should become college.

Swimmers isn't a real surprise as they grew up.

Not all that far from rather large bodies of water.

We bring hails from Warsaw, Indiana, about 75 miles from Lake Michigan while Headley's home in Whitley Bay, England is right on that rather large swimming ground called.

>> The North Sea.

It was when I was much much and get with me.

Most is to swim.

So it was like without him some lessons from the start from that.

But I'll say I really enjoyed the most have done a lot in the sea and a lot in the lakes.

>> Lucy, Hadley's, versatility increased.

Our races will make are likely point scorer at this year's national me and she was in top form with 10500 year wins against fourth-ranked.

At the same meet we bring race to victory in both the 10200 meter breaststroke events and seems to be ready to crack the top 10 in each race after finishing 9th in the 200 meter at last season's NCAA final.

>> Honestly, my big goals this year just like enjoy it.

This is my last year.

Then say some and as far as like rankings wise, I love to make it top 16 in the 10200 breaststroke and then.

>> Not to top 8, 1, of the relay is still going to change a little bit without having Lindenwood Queens in division 2 anymore.

So that opens a lot of things.

A lot of teams will hopefully qualifies more people, the Nationals and there's so many teams are going to be close together.

Just a matter of a couple points will make a difference.

>> And Indianapolis Laker women got another notable win in one meter diving by the defending national champion.

Grayson see chart in all the October 22nd trip to the Hoosier State gave the Lakers a good idea where they stand among the Giants of their division.

>> I think being so close and this weekend really give our team like a real is to give.

We can totally go down to end the and show up and do great.

I'm really enjoying it.

It's like totally different.

We have.

I'd like to come.

People like love Americans will see more international.

So like you and different things like you come out with a known as the day went on about and I think it's the city one.

Yeah, I reading of the year.

>> Well, the lady we bring he's just a few hours from her home in Indiana.

Lucy Headley seems just as comfortable in her first year in Allendale, even though there are many trips back to see her family.

3500 miles away in northeast England.

But for each home is where the heart is right now.

That's in West Michigan as the top competitors on the top swim team in division 2, the Grand Valley State Sports report on top clear.

>> That's all the time that we have this week here in the Grand Valley State Sports report GSU football will celebrate Laker Day again.

Swing state this Saturday, November 5th kickoff from lover Stadium in the final regular season.

Home game is scheduled for 03:00PM.

He beat you.

Women soccer kicks off the gliac tournament on Tuesday as they take on Purdue Northwest in Allendale game time against the pride scheduled for 06:00PM TV issue.

Volleyball wraps up their regular season with a pair of games this week.

They'll take on Wayne State for senior night and Friday, November 4th for service scheduled for 06:00PM Bill and take on Saginaw Valley on Saturday, November 5th in their regular season finale of game time from the GB Issue.

Fieldhouse Arena is scheduled for 04:00PM for upcoming games as well as live broadcast every Laker athletic program.

He's a genius.

You Lakers dot com for more of the show.

Head over to our YouTube channel.

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

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