Western Wayne Today

The Wayne State University volleyball team is preparing for its final two matches of the regular season. The Warriors, who hold a 19-5 overall record and are 11-3 in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC), will play Grand Valley State on Thursday and Purdue Northwest on Friday. Both matches are scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. at the Matthaei Center.

Head coach Tim Koth commented on the upcoming games: "We're looking forward to the final two regular season matches at the Matthaei. It should be great competition as we celebrate Pride and Family this weekend."

Senior middle blocker Kayla Giroux was named GLIAC Offensive Player of the Week for the fourth time this season, according to an announcement from the league on Monday. Giroux has now earned eight GLIAC weekly honors in her career—seven for offense and one for defense. Last week, she posted a .538 hitting percentage with 39 kills and only four errors over 65 attacks during two road victories for Wayne State. She recorded 14 kills with one error against Lake Superior State (.565) and set a career high with 25 kills in a reverse sweep over Saginaw Valley State (.524).

Wayne State's volleyball program has seen only 14 teams reach at least 20 wins in a single season over its previous 50 years. With three or more matches remaining—including those in the GLIAC Tournament—the current team could finish with at least 22 wins, which would be their highest total since recording a 29-8 record in 1997. In the past 26 seasons, Wayne State has achieved more than 20 wins just once, finishing with a 20-9 record in 2021. The team is also aiming for its fourth NCAA Tournament appearance; previous appearances were made in 1987, 1994, and most recently in 2021.

Grand Valley State enters Thursday’s match having won four straight contests, including a five-set victory over nationally ranked Ferris State earlier this month. Under fifth-year head coach Jason Johnson, Grand Valley holds an overall record of 108-39 and is currently five wins and three losses on true road games this season.

Key offensive players for Grand Valley include Meghan O'Sullivan (239 kills), Brianna Stawski (212), and Kendall Stover (207). Setters Caroline Baker (429 assists) and O'Sullivan (390) lead their attack while O'Sullivan also leads from behind the service line with 36 aces. Defensively, Stover has tallied 294 digs and Stawski has recorded 109 blocks.

Purdue Northwest is led by head coach Sean Douglas, who has accumulated a record of 44-65 during his tenure. The Pride have won six out of nine true road games this year and have an overall away record of nine wins to six losses. In their last visit to Detroit in October last year, Purdue Northwest defeated Wayne State for the first time ever after five sets.

On offense, Purdue Northwest features Arra Cottrell (238 kills), Anika Huelskamp (236), and Allyson Cathey (208). Senior setter Marina Gronkiewicz leads with 744 assists and also contributes significantly from behind the service line along with teammates Kennedi Brass, Cottrell, and Huelskamp.