Four seniors stepped into the Bud Cooper Gymnasium for their final home series on Friday night, prior to the weekend's first game against Wayne State.

Stepping through a massive freighter display with their families, these four seniors received their well-earned recognition for their time at LSSU. Vanessa Swerdon, Valeriya Varnakova, Hannah Callaway, and Olivia Boutorwick each heard standing ovations at the Bud Cooper Gym from an energized crowd.

In the match, the Lakers (1-19, 1-12 GLIAC) lost in straight sets to Wayne State (18-5, 10-3 GLIAC), 25-13, 25-16, 25-19. Swerdon had a strong performance, posting 11 assists with five digs and two service aces. Gia Waters notched a team-high eight digs in her return, and Morgan Deming scored six kills on 16 hits. She added a block assist with three digs.

The Lakers started well, dueling with the Warriors early in the opening set. Kills by Shea Berisoff and Hannah Callaway put the score level at 9-9, before the Warriors responded with a long run to take control of the set.

In the second, LSSU started slowly but picked up steam in the middle stages through a pair of kills by Caitlyn Matelski. The teams largely traded points through the rest of the set, but Wayne State held onto its lead.

In the third, the Lakers rallied and stayed in striking distance throughout. The crowd responded with tremendous energy and LSSU cut the gap to 22-18 before Wayne State took match point.

The Lakers return on Saturday at 4:00 PM for a GLIAC clash with Grand Valley State. It's the final home match of the season for the Lakers and a final send-off for the LSSU seniors.