Lake Superior State wrapped up U.P. Rivalry Week on Saturday afternoon as they hosted the Northern Michigan Wildcats. Lake State played well at the net, totaling 10 blocks on the night but dropped the result in straight sets, 25-21, 25-14, 25-20.
The Lakers (3-13, 0-8 GLIAC) had five of their blocks come in the first set against the Wildcats (8-8, 5-3 GLIAC), while hitting .250 to open the match. Fourth-year Rachel Steele had eight kills on 15 swings for Lake State on Saturday, hitting for a career-high percentage of .533 as well.
"Rachel did a great job offensively and set up a good block for us, that was a big help," said Cooke-Tripp. Steele continues to impress in her best year statistically for Lake Superior State.
Cooke-Tripp also noted other Lakers play at the net as well. "Morgan and Eli no surprise there, Jade did a great job too. She's in the gym and works hard every day." Third-year Jade Peterson totaled one solo block and two block assists for LSSU, regularly menacing the Wildcat attack.
Deming, the fourth-year middle, finished with 3 blocks against the Wildcats. She scored four kills for the Lakers as well. Second-year pin Elisa Rizzoli had five kills for the Lakers.
First-year Setter Azra Bilgiçer tallied 11 assists for the game. "Azra comes in with a lot of prior training and talent," said Cooke-Tripp. "You can see that she flows well with the game. Super excited to see what she can do."
On Saturday, the Laker Volleyball team competed in their Lakers Fight Cancer game in front of a crowd of 304. Every player held a sign pregame to honor somebody they hold close who has battled forms of cancer. It was an emotional time, with a moment of silence held pregame as well.
LSSU hits the road to Hammond, IN to play Purdue Northwest on October 9th. That match starts at 7:00 PM ET. A day later, the team heads to Chicago, IL to clash with Roosevelt starting at 4:00 PM ET. Download the new Lake Superior State Lakers mobile app to follow the team all season long, now available on the App Store and Google Play.
