Western Wayne Today

Wayne State University's women's volleyball team achieved a significant win on Thursday night, defeating No. 18 Grand Valley State in a five-set match. The victory marks the first time in nearly eight years that Wayne State has secured a true-road win against a top-25 opponent.

Head coach Tim Koth commented on the team's performance, stating, "What an outstanding match in a great environment. It took a total team effort, led by an outstanding performance from Kayla Giroux. I'm very proud of our group, but now its back to work."

The last time Wayne State won a true-road game against a ranked opponent was on October 7, 2017, when they beat No. 7 Ferris State. Their most recent win over any top-25 team before this match occurred on August 25, 2018.

During Thursday's contest, Wayne State recorded a .192 hitting percentage with 56 kills and 26 errors across 156 attacks. Grand Valley State finished with a .176 hitting percentage and totaled 53 kills with 25 errors on 159 attempts.

Kayla Giroux led the Warriors with 21 kills and only five errors for a .356 hitting percentage. She reached at least 20 kills in a match for the fifth time in her career and the second time this season. Paige Giehtbrock contributed 13 kills while Katerina Stout and Leigha Baldwin added eight and seven kills respectively.

On defense, Giehtbrock notched her twelfth career double-double with thirteen digs to go along with her offensive output. Kendyl Andrews led all players with twenty-two digs while Abby Macalaguim also reached double digits in digs.

At the net, both Giroux and Stout registered five blocks each. Other contributors included Lauren Essenpreis (three blocks), Giehtbrock (two), Baldwin (two), and Saige Martin (two).

Wayne State will conclude its four-match road trip Friday at Purdue Northwest.