The Lakeland volleyball team traveled to Toledo, Ohio tonight to play the NJCAA DIII #2 ranked Owens Express. The Lakers fell in a hard-fought 3-0 battle by the scores of 18-25, 12-25, and 18-25. The Lakers came out with a lot of energy in game 1 as they battled the Express throughout. Lakeland was hitting hard early and it forced the Express to call a timeout to regroup. In the end, the Lakers made a few too many unforced errors that caught up with them. Game 2 had a different feel. In game 2, Owens came out strong and the Lakers struggled a bit to get going. In this game, the Express put on a lot of pressure early as the Lakers never recovered. In game 3, Lakeland again came out strong. The Lakers used consistent defense with strong net play to hold the lead for most of the game. As the game got late, Lakeland's unforced errors combined with some critical missed serves proved to be their undoing. 

Astianna Coppes finished with 8 kills and 9 assists while Kaitlynn Minarik recorded 5 kills, 3 blocks, 8 digs, and 26 serve receptions. Jordan Morman picked up 5 kills and 8 digs while Erica Merth added 4 kills, 7 blocks, and 16 serve receptions. Allison Hendrick finished with 10 assists, 6 digs, and 2 aces for the Lakers.

Players of the game for the Lakers were Erica Merth, Kaitlynn Minarik, and Astianna Coppes.

Watts' Word: "We had a lot of personal growth tonight and remained foused toward a common goal. Tonight, we just played a good game of volleyball against a good team. I'm proud of the teams effort."

Next Up: The Lakers will hit the road again on Friday as they travel to Terra State to take on the Titans in a 6:00pm tilt.