SANDUSKY, Ohio -- The Grove City College volleyball team opened the 2023 season Friday by earning two wins in the Great Lakes Invitational, held at Cedar Point. Grove City opened play with a 25-22, 25-19, 25-14 triumph over Bluffton. The Wolverines then rallied for a 25-20, 20-25, 24-26, 25-19, 15-13 victory over Baldwin Wallace in Friday's nightcap.

The Bluffton win marked the 300th overall coaching win for fifth-year Grove City head coach Leo Sayles. Sayles owns a 66-39 mark at Grove City. He has also been head coach at Bryan (Tenn.) and Gardner-Webb.

Senior Grace Kim (Sanford, N.C./Harnett Warriors) and freshman Alexis Standford (Walkersville, Md./New Life Christian) paced the Wolverines with nine kills each in the opener against Bluffton. Junior Audrey Donnelly (Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio/Woodridge) added five kills.

Junior setter Kennedy Kerr (East Grand Rapids, Mich./East Grand Rapids) recorded 16 assists while sophomore setter Brooklyn Wirebaugh (Medina, Ohio/Cuyahoga Valley Christian) added 10 assists. Wirebaugh also served three aces while Kim and freshman Alayna Dorst (Middletown, Del./Middletown) both served two aces.

Standford and freshman Julia Fisher (Lancaster, Pa./Lancaster Mennonite) both led the defense with four blocks. Senior libero Gabby Lucas (Butler, Pa./Butler) recorded a team-leading 15 digs and Fisher added 11 digs.

Grace and Standford both had kills in the fifth set of Grove City's win over Baldwin Wallace, breaking a 9-9 tie in the set. Fisher's fourth and final kill of the match gave Grove City the win.

Standford led the Wolverines with 14 kills while senior Eloise Sutter (West Chester, Ohio/Mars Hill) tallied a dozen kills. Senior Anna DeGraaf (Cranberry Township, Pa./Seneca Valley) chipped in seven kills. 

Kerr chalked up 22 assists while Wirebaugh had 16 assists. Lucas added eight assists. Kerr and Wirebaugh both served three aces. 

DeGraaf, Donnelly and Fisher all posted four blocks while Standford contributed three blocks. Kim led the Wolverines with 19 digs. Lucas added 15 digs while Wirebaugh (14) and Fisher (12) also had double-digit dig totals. 

The Wolverines return to action Saturday with a pair of matches at Cedar Point. Grove City plays Case Western Reserve at 8 a.m. The Wolverines will face Hiram at noon.