Lake Superior State wrapped up its final road trip of the 2026 campaign at the Hamilton Gymnasium in University Center, MI on Saturday evening. Elisa Rizzoli tallied a season-high 19 kills in leading Lake State to take the third place team in the GLIAC to five sets but dropped the result 24-26, 25-20, 25-20, 22-25, 15-6.

Rizzoli has now led the Lakers (5-21, 1-13 GLIAC) in kills for a match 16 times this season and hit for an attacking percentage of .269 against the Cardinals (17-9, 9-5 GLIAC). 

The Lakers hit a blistering .355 to take the opening set. They maintained that aggression, posting their second highest offensive output of the season, totaling 55 kills against the Cardinals in the five-set thriller. 

"It was really nice," stated Laker Head Coach Chelsea Cooke-Tripp. "We had a lot higher energy on the court today, proud of them to push to five sets."

After dropping sets two and three, the Lakers leaped to a 14-2 lead over the Cardinals midway through the fourth set. The Cardinals battled back, bringing the score close late in the set at 19-18. But kills by Morgan Deming, Shea Berisoff, and Rachel Steele staked the Laker claim to the set, sending the match to a decisive fifth.

Berisoff hit well for Lake State, finishing with 11 kills and hit .276 for the evening. She continued her excellent performances against Saginaw Valley State this season. Berisoff totaled eight kills and hit for .208 in the teams' first meeting back on September 18th. 

Millie Ashcroft got the start at Libero for Lake State, totaling a career-high 25 digs to lead all Lakers. "This was her first match in conference as a libero," noted Cooke-Tripp. "She was a monster today and we were super proud of her. I think she's a fearless kid and a ball of energy and I think the team just really rallied off of that and helped the other girls play better defense as well."

Three other Lakers finished with double-digit digs in the match. Gia Waters added a season-high 16, Azra Bilgiçer registered 12, and Ava Tarsi finished with 10 digs. 

Next weekend, the Lakers return home for their final pair of games this season. Friday, November 6th, they host Roosevelt with first serve set for 2:00 PM. Saturday, they host Davenport for Senior Day, starting at 4:00 PM. 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.