The crowd at the Old Fort Bank Court was rocking through the first two sets as Tiffin rolled over Grand Valley State early, but the Dragons inability to close out the Lakers in the 3rd set came back to haunt Tiffin as they fell 3-2.
In the opening set, Tiffin jumped on the Lakers from the start rolling ahead to a 4-1 lead. The Lakers caught up, tying the score at 9-9. Tiffin then utilized their attack, hammering kill after kill en route to a 25-19 win. The Dragons pounded 18 kills, made only four errors, and hit at a .318 clip. The Dragons' defense was outstanding at the net, holding Grand Valley State to a .209 hitting percentage.
The second set was all Tiffin as the Dragons blew the doors off the Lakers. The Dragons, holding a 20-6 lead, allowed Grand Valley State to go on an extended run to make the score more respectable, but it was Tiffin that prevailed 25-18. The Dragons' defense smothered the Lakers' attack, forcing Grand Valley State into 11 errors for a -.024 hitting percentage.
With the sweep in sight, the Dragons had the Lakers on the run. Tiffin continued to flex their muscle at the net, holding a 15-10 lead at the midway point in the set. Somehow Grand Valley State summoned a second wind and pulled to within a point at 23-22. The Dragons got a kill by Danielle Hicks and were one point away from their first ever victory over the Lakers. Tiffin couldn't find that final kill as Grand Valley State wiggled off the hook, staving off three match points to drop the Dragons 27-25.
With Tiffin holding a 2-1 lead, all the Dragons needed was one more set to send the fans home happy. The fourth set didn't go the way the green and gold would have liked as Grand Valley State revved up their attack to stave off elimination with a 25-17 win to tie the match at 2-2.
In the final set the Lakers carried all the momentum as they roared ahead to an 8-3 lead. The Dragons slowly got back into the swing of things, clawing their way back to tie the score at 9-9. The two teams traded points over the next few serves, and then an attack error by the Lakers gave the Dragons a 14-13 lead. With their fourth match point staring them in the face, Tiffin blinked and an attack error by Tiffin tied the score at 14-14. Grand Valley State's attack returned the favor to offer the Dragons another opportunity to win the match, but yet again the Dragons were unable to seal the deal as the Lakers tied the score 15-15 with a kill. That would be the final match point Tiffin would see as the Lakers won the final two points to drop the Dragons 17-15.
Tiffin was led by Jenna Huffman with 18 kills. Of her 18, six came in the final set. Huffman also collected 19 digs and three blocks. Danielle Hicks logged 14 kills and added two service aces. Emily Weithman continued her stellar play with 30 assists and a team high three service aces. Grace Schreiber was a monster for Tiffin on the defensive end, logging eight assisted blocks and one solo block.
The loss drops Tiffin to 14-12 overall and 6-6 in the GLIAC. Tiffin will have little time to think about the tough loss as they host Wayne State tomorrow at 2:00 pm.