Firebirds Drop Both Matches in Opening Day of Grand Rapids Classic

ALLENDALE, MI - Senior Business Marketing major Vanessa Garley (Rio Rancho, NM - Rio Rancho HS) led the Firebirds with 19 kills for the day, but the University of the District of Columbia volleyball team lost both its matches during day one of the Grand Rapids Classic on Friday.

District of Columbia (2-3) first was defeated, 3-0 by tournament host Grand Valley St. by scores of 25-10, 25-16 and 25-20, and then the Firebirds were defeated 3-1 in a highly-competitive match versus Lake Superior St. The scores of the matches against Lake Superior were 27-25, 30-28, 22-25, 25-23.

District of Columbia vs. Grand Valley St.

Garley led the Firebirds with five kills and sophomore Sociology major Kamene Rose (Chula Vista, CA - Hilltop HS) pitched in with a double-double of 14 assists and 10 digs, but District of Columbia hit just .056 as a team en-route to being swept.

Also adding to the Firebirds' offensive production were junior Tara Usko (Spring Creek, NV - Spring Creek HS), a History major, pitched in with four kills and three blocks and freshman Jazmin Rogers (Tucson, AZ - Palo Verde HS), a mechanical engineering major, with three kills.

District of Columbia is still playing without a libero as both the liberos on its roster are out with injury. Therefore, the team's defense was a collaborative effort, with junior Art major Julia Lynch (Spring Creek, NV - Spring Creek HS) and Rogers pitching in with nine and eight digs, respectively.

Grand Valley St. was led by Abbby Aiken (12 kills, .409 hitting pct.) and Clair Ruhenkamp (24 assists). Ten different players contributed at least one kill, and four had over five kills as the Lakers hit .273 (46 kills, 16 errors) as a team. Christina Canepa led GV's defensive efforts with 14 digs. Fourteen Laker players had at least one dig for the match.

District of Columbia vs. Lake Superior St.

Lynch led a determined Firebirds squad in the second match of the day against Lake Superior St., as she posted a double-double of 14 kills and a season and match-high 19 digs. She hit .400 (14 kills, 2 errors, 30 TA) for the match while Garley tied her with 14 kills and hit a scorching .520 (14 kills, 1 error, 25 TA).

Meanwhile, sophomore Biology major Amber Walls (Temple Hills, MD - Surrattsville HS) and Rogers were terrific defensively with 15 and 13 digs apiece. Walls also added eight kills and two blocks and Rogers recorded nine kills and three blocks.

The Firebirds out-hit LS .291 to .188 for the match but were done in by 10 service errors and 12 return errors.

In the first set, no team ever led by more than three and there 13 different ties. The Firebirds held 15-12 and 17-14 advantages, but could never put Lake Superior away. Lake Superior went on a 5-0 run to take a 19-17 lead and would never trail again though District of Columbia went on to force seven more ties.

After a kill by District of Columbia's Rogers knotted the score for the 13th and final time at 25-apiece, Sydne McMullen's kill and a Firebird attack error resulted in a 27-25 set one win for Lake Superior.

In the second set, Lake Superior looked as though it would run away with the match with a 19-12 advantage, but the Firebirds came storming back with a 9-0 run to pull in front, 21-19. Garley served two aces and Usko added two kills during that stretch to help District of Columbia claim its first lead of the set since a 4-3 advantage very early on.

Following a Lake Superior timeout, the Lakers used a quick 3-0 surge to regain the lead, 22-21, and a see-saw battle would ensue from there. After six  more ties and three more lead changes, Lake Superior closed out a 30-28 set two win after two consecutive Firebird attack errors.

Down in the match 2-0, a determined Firebird squad raced out to a 5-1 advantage helped by two Garley kills and the service of Lynch. They would extend their lead to 10-3 on Garley's third kill of the match, but the Lakers came roaring back with a 12-5 run to force a 15-15 tie. Lake Superior continued to hang around even after three consecutive District of Columbia points made it 18-15, but could never even the score again as the Firebirds took set three, 25-22.

Garley helped the Firebirds to a fast start in set four, as her two kills and a Jazmin Rogers led to a quick 5-1 District of Columbia lead. The Firebirds led by as many as six (19-13), but Lake Superior closed out the set and the match with a 12-4 run to win the set, 25-23 and claim a 3-1 match victory.

District of Columbia is back in action at the Grand Rapids Classic tomorrow at 10 a.m. with a match against Wisconsin-Parkside and again at 2 p.m. against Notre Dame (OH).