ALLENDALE, Mich. — Parkside (13-10, 5-7 GLIAC) lost to No. 21 Grand Valley St. (18-6, 10-2 GLIAC) 3-2 on Saturday. Parkside won the second and third sets after dropping the opener, but Grand Valley St. took the final two sets to take the match by set scores of 15-25, 25-19, 25-12, 17-25, 12-15.
Sierra Kilbourn registered a career-high 40 digs to lead Parkside and added four assists. Monica Lukasiewicz finished with 12 kills, four blocks and a team-high 14.5 points while hitting .310. Lucy Russ recorded 27 assists, nine digs and two service aces. Emily Zaper added nine kills, 11 digs and one ace.
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Parkside worked back from a 6-3 deficit in the opening set, getting a Lukasiewicz kill, a Grand Valley St. attack error and a Zaper kill to tie it at 6-6. The set stayed within one as late as 11-10 after Avary Polavin's kill, but Grand Valley St. answered with four straight points, including two blocks involving Kennedy Arp and a Brianna Stawski kill, to move ahead 15-10. An Avary Polavin kill and a Masina Reuter service ace brought Parkside within 15-12, before Grand Valley St. scored the next seven points for a 22-12 lead and finished the set 25-15.
Grand Valley St. scored the first three points and later built an 11-4 lead before Emily Zaper's kill and Avary Polavin's finish helped the Rangers trim the gap to 11-7. After Grand Valley St. pushed the margin to 15-8, Parkside won five straight points behind Monica Lukasiewicz's block and a Lukasiewicz–Sierra Kilbourn block to pull within 15-13, and kills by Lukasiewicz and Kilbourn eventually brought the set even at 16-16. The Lakers moved back in front 18-16, but a service error, Maia Olson's block, Natalie Harris' ace and Olson's kill put Wis.-Parkside ahead 20-18. After Grand Valley St. got one point back, Kilbourn's kill started a five-point finish that included a Samantha Molenhouse ace, an Olson kill and two Zaper kills to close the set 25-19.
Russ served Parkside to a 5-0 start in the third set, hitting two aces while Kilbourn and Lukasiewicz combined on back-to-back blocks before Kilbourn added a kill. Grand Valley St. worked back within 8-7, but kills from Hailey Warfel and Polavin and a Zaper ace helped Wis.-Parkside stay in front at 12-9. Russ returned to the service line for six straight Ranger points, with Lukasiewicz putting down three kills during the stretch as the Rangers moved ahead 18-9. Parkside kept control late with kills from Lukasiewicz and Kilbourn, reached set point at 24-11 on a Grand Valley St. attack error and closed the set 25-12.
Polavin opened the fourth set with back-to-back kills from Russ, and kills by Kilbourn, Warfel and Zaper helped Parkside build an 8-5 lead. Grand Valley St. answered by scoring seven of the next eight points, including a Finley Arp ace, a Grace Busold kill and a block by Paige Sanders and Gabby Orlet, to move in front 12-9. Polavin and Lukasiewicz helped Parkside pull within 13-12, but Grand Valley St. later reached 19-14 behind kills by Brianna Stawski, Kennedy Arp and Finley Arp around Kennedy Arp's ace. Parkside got back within 19-16 after Maia Olson's block, but Grand Valley St. scored the final four points from 21-17 to close the set 25-17.
Parkside and the Lakers traded points early in the fifth set. Grand Valley St. moved in front 8-5 behind a Brianna Stawski block, a Grace Busold service ace and kills from Kennedy Arp and Finley Arp, but Parkside came back within 8-7 and later tied the set 10-10 on consecutive Polavin kills and another from Kilbourn. Grand Valley St. scored the next two points and stayed ahead; after a Lexi Armstrong service error brought Parkside within 13-12, Busold's kill and a Ranger attack error closed the fifth set at 15-12.
Parkside will have a quick turnaround, facing the Roosevelt Lakers on Tuesday, October 27 in De Simone Arena. The match will be a Green Out to support Mental Health Awareness. Links to coverage can be found at ParksideRangers.com/coverage.
