Morgan Deming, Rachel Steele, Shea Berisoff, and Gia Waters. Four seniors competed Saturday afternoon in their final collegiate volleyball match for Lake Superior State.

Each played well in their finale, though Lake Superior State (6-22, 2-14 GLIAC) dropped a result to Davenport (17-9, 9-7 GLIAC) in four sets, 22-25, 25-23, 25-15, 25-17 at the Bud Cooper Gymnasium in Sault Ste. Marie, MI.

"I'm super proud of them for pushing through," said Laker Head Coach Chelsea Cooke-Tripp. "I know a lot of them were all fighting through injuries and just lots of ups and downs they've gone through with so many different coaches. I'm just really proud of them as they pushed through and still played hard until this last match."

Deming starred in Saturday's showdown with Davenport, scoring 13 kills on 29 swings and a .414 attacking percentage. She finishes her Laker career third on the career blocks list with 263, behind Kristy Kelly '05 and Michelle Kelly '01. A four year starter for the Lakers, she regularly controlled the net. Deming also earned GLIAC Academic Excellence honors twice.

Cooke-Tripp said, "Staying consistent that's one thing we work on daily. She is a go-getter and very competitive."

Steele scored eight kills and hit .280 for LSSU in the match. She starred at the Midwest Regional Crossover in mid-October, hitting for 15 kills against Illinois-Springfield, 18 against Malone and 10 against Kentucky Wesleyan, an outstanding stretch.

Waters defended effectively for the Lakers, tallying 11 digs. A 2024 All-GLIAC Honorable Mention selection, she also earned GLIAC All-Academic honors twice. A versatile player who used her tremendous leaping ability to contribute defensively at the net and soar for powerful attacks, she piled up 25 digs against William Jewell at last season's Crossover.

Berisoff hit for five kills against DU. Another two-time GLIAC Academic Excellence honoree, the Kelowna, BC native tallied a career-high 12 kills against Kentucky State early in the season and hit .440 in that match.

Cooke-Tripp said that she'll remember the perseverance of her senior class. She praised them for their eagerness to learn and acclimate to a new system.

On Saturday, Millie Ashcroft posted 20 digs for the second time in three matches. The first year Libero flew around the floor, particularly in the opening two sets. She made numerous leaping plays, displaying her quick-twitch ability and excellent vision. That powered the Lakers to an opening set win and 20-15 lead in the second. The Lakers head coach hailed the libero's next-ball mentality as one of her starring qualities.

"Mille stands out in practice as a little ball of energy," said Cooke-Tripp.  "We just really love to rally around that. She's super fast, which is fantastic in the libero position, so she's able to react really quickly and maybe get to some things other people can't, and that has definitely benefited us."

Laker Volleyball heads into the offseason, which Cooke-Tripp said will quickly lead into recruiting and preparation for the next campaign. On Saturday, though, the seniors took center stage at the Bud Cooper Gymnasium one final time.

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