NOV. 5, 2026, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The No. 13 Grand Rapids Community College volleyball team opened postseason play Thursday as the No. 2 seed in the seven-team NJCAA Great Lakes District A Championship, hosted at GRCC's Gerald R. Ford Fieldhouse.
The Raiders cruised past No. 7 seed Schoolcraft College in their opening match before falling to No. 3 seed and No. 9-ranked Mott Community College in four sets, sending GRCC into the tournament's losers bracket.
The split leaves the Raiders at 22-6 overall, while their winning streak comes to an end at 13 consecutive matches. The first victory also extended their impressive run of consecutive sweeps.
RAIDERS DOMINATE SCHOOLCRAFT IN OPENING ROUND
GRCC opened the tournament in convincing fashion, sweeping Schoolcraft 25-8, 25-14, 25-10.
The Raiders were nearly flawless offensively, recording a season-best .455 hitting percentage with 40 kills and just five attacking errors. The first set was especially impressive, as GRCC collected 16 kills without committing a single hitting error to hit .571.
All but two Raiders recorded at least one point, with Vanessa Walker and Kirstyn Lothschultz leading the way with 10 points apiece.
Walker paced the offense with eight kills while hitting an outstanding .615. Lothschultz and Charlee Cochran each added seven kills, while Payton Taylor led the team with 14 assists and contributed four of the Raiders' 10 service aces.
The Raiders controlled the match from start to finish, allowing just 32 total points across the three sets.
NO. 9 MOTT HANDS RAIDERS FOUR-SET LOSS
The Raiders faced a much tougher challenge in their second match against No. 3 seed and No. 9-ranked Mott Community College, which entered the tournament with an impressive 31-1 record.
GRCC came out strong, winning the opening set 25-22, but Mott responded by taking the next three sets 25-18, 25-23 and 25-20 to earn the four-set victory and improve to 32-1. The loss dropped the Raiders to 22-6.
The opening set featured a strong comeback by GRCC. Trailing 11-6, the Raiders battled back and eventually built a 20-17 advantage. Mott fought back to tie the set at 22, but GRCC finished with three consecutive points. Lothschultz delivered a kill, Taylor followed with a service ace, and Avery Powers and Walker teamed up for an assisted block to close out the 25-22 victory.
The Raiders hit a match-best .256 in the opening set with 15 kills.
Mott took control in the second set, building a lead as large as 14-2. GRCC gradually chipped away at the deficit but could get no closer than six points, eventually falling 25-18 while hitting a match-low .114.
The third set was tightly contested throughout, with neither team leading by more than three points. The Raiders battled until the end, but Mott managed to escape with a 25-23 victory.
In the fourth set, Mott again jumped out to an early 7-1 lead. GRCC responded with a rally to tie the set at eight and later used an Ella Thayer service ace to even the score at 12. However, the Raiders were unable to take the lead, as Mott closed out the match with a 25-20 win.
Walker recorded her second triple-double of the season against the Bears, finishing with 11 kills, 23 assists and 10 digs. She also added two service aces and a block.
Lothschultz and Kaylee Kranz led the Raiders with 13 kills apiece. Middle blockers Zella Hutchings and Powers combined for 12 kills while hitting over .400, and Taylor once again led the team in assists with 26.
Defensively, sophomore libero Olivia Inthout delivered an outstanding performance, recording a match-high 23 digs, her second-highest total of the season.
RAIDERS LOOK TO BATTLE THROUGH LOSERS BRACKET
Despite the loss to Mott, the Raiders' postseason hopes remain alive. GRCC will now attempt to battle its way through the losers bracket, beginning with an 11 a.m. matchup Friday against No. 6 seed Kellogg Community College.
A victory would advance the Raiders to another elimination match at 5 p.m. Friday.
Full tournament brackets and information are available at:
https://njcaaregion12.org/tournaments/wvballa/2026-27/index
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