Lansing, MI—After an extremely successful 2011 campaign and a nod in the preseason NJCAA polls, the Raiders lived up to their hype at the season opening Tournament of the Stars. The Raiders faced off against some very tough competition, and walked away from the tournament with a perfect 4-0 record.

GRCC faced off against Columbia State Community College to open competition for their season, and defeated the Cougars in 3 sets. The girls defeated rival Macomb Community College in the same fashion to close out play on day one of the tournament.

With a tough schedule ahead of them on Saturday, the Raiders stormed the court with something to prove. Squaring off against the #2 ranked Oakland Community College, they showed exactly why they are considered a perennial national title contender.

The Raiders downed OCC in 3 straight sets with scores of 25-23, 25-20 and 25-20, andnd with the momentum of a speeding Mack truck, the girls got set to face off against Owens Community College, a team that dealt them one of their few losses last season.

The Express earned the victory in the first set by a razor thin margin. GRCC, however, did not let the hiccup affect their play.

Although they had a strong first set against the Raiders, Owens just couldn’t keep up with the immensely talented GRCC squad. The girls earned a commanding 25-14 victory in the second set, a 25-17 victory in the third set and sealed the victory with a 25-20 victory in the fourth and final set.

As a whole, the Raiders exhibited the type of play that a national contender needs to put forth. Perhaps what stands out the most when looking at the Raiders individual statistics is the fact that they are all putting up huge numbers.

Sophomore Kaitlyn Wolters is putting up assists at a ridiculous pace, with a number already approaching 150, Molly Maynard and Nicole Czehowski are averaging nearly 4 kills per set, and Kourtney Wolters is frustrating opponents with an average of 4 blocks per set.

With 4 quick victories, the Raiders are poised for success in the 2012 season. Although they may be flying high after a couple of big early season victories, the team faces off against some equally strong competition when they head south to compete in the Owens Invite.

The Raiders are scheduled to play 4 matches, all of which are against top 15 teams. GRCC will face #3 Kishwaukee College and #7 Parkland College on Friday. Saturday has the Raiders doing battle with #6 Iowa Central Community College and #12 Pasco-Hernando Community College.

Stay tuned to GRCCRaiders.com for further updates.