The Lakeland Lakers played host to the NJCAA's 2nd ranked team in the country in DIII and lost 3-0. The scores of the game were 17-25, 5-25, and 19-25. The Lakers played with good energy in games 1 and 3 as they put themselves in a position to take both of those games. In game 1, they were tied at 10 and playing well before the Express went on a little run to go up 3 points. From there the teams went back and forth until the Express finally lengthened their lead and closed out the win. In game 2, the Lakers made many unforced errors to dig themselves into an early hole that they could not recover from. In game 3, the Lakers held an early 8-3 lead before the Express clawed back to tie it at 8. The teams then exhanged points and were tied at 17. Lakeland then made a couple of unforced errors while the Express recorded a couple of strong kills to close out the match.
Erica Merth finished the match with 9 kills and 4 blocks while Madison Tatka played the final home match of her career recording 6 kills. Tatianna Matuz recorded 16 assists while Maisie Burlison finished with 4 kills and 1 solo block. Astianna Coppes picked up 3 kills in the match.
Coach Miozzi commented, "I was happy with our effort in 2 of 3 games tonight. We outplayed them at times, but were unable to sustain it. Credit to Sonny Lewis and the Express - they are a solid team that has aspirations of winning a national championship. We've been in just about every match this year and tonight was no exception. I really like our team - we have some really great student-athletes who give their all consistently. I'm proud of them and am looking forward to our next match."
Next Up: The Lakers will hit the road on Saturday as they travel to Hocking College to take on the Hawks. The match is scheduled to begin at 2:00 pm.
