GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Cornerstone continues the 2021 campaign with a busy four match week as the team returns to full strength after missing a few players this past weekend when they suffered a pair of losses. CU begins the week with a home match vs. UM-Dearborn on Wednesday and then they will hit the road on Friday and Saturday for matches against Lawrence Tech, Rochester, and Goshen. Rochester will be hosting a tri-tournament on Saturday at Garth Pleasant Arena that will see CU play their road WHAC game against the Warriors and a non-conference game against Goshen. To watch the games live visit the link HERE.
 
Staff/Faculty Appreciation Night
Head Coach Megan Lenhart and the Golden Eagles will host staff/faculty appreciation night on Wednesday, September 29 at 7 p.m. vs. UM-Dearborn. The night will have each player inviting a staff/faculty member who has made an impact on them to the match to be honored prior to the contest. Cornerstone is excited to honor some of the many who work so hard for our student body and community. 
 
Block Queen Dykema
Junior Middle Kaylee Dykema has not only been named the WHAC Defender of the Week for two consecutive weeks, but currently leads the NAIA in blocks per set at 1.67. In the last two weeks of games, Dykema has recorded 21 total blocks and is averaging 2.0 in conference play which is good for second in the NAIA. Her 77 total blocks are also top 10 in the country at seventh. 
 
Return of Morris
Junior libero Patsy Morris returns to a crucial position for the Golden Eagles this week as she looks to help lead CU in getting back on track after struggling over the weekend in serve receive. CU gave up 11 service aces to both Lourdes and Siena Heights which is only the second and third times this season an opponent has recorded double-digit aces against the Golden Eagles. Although Morris' numbers are down a little from her freshman and sophomore seasons, she is still averaging 4.95 digs per set this year. 
 
Scouting UM-Dearborn
The Wolverines return to play after playing just four games in the COVID-19 2020 year. So far in 2021, UM-Dearborn is 4-9, 2-3 WHAC play with conference wins over Lourdes and Rochester. The Wolverines do not have one main weapon as five players have 55+ kills this year including a pair of middles in Regan Sliwinski and Brooke Wetherill. Earlier this year, UM-Dearborn was swept seven straight times before they started to find some momentum with four set wins vs. Grace Christian and Lourdes and a four set loss at Siena Heights. 
 
Scouting Lawrence Tech
The Blue Devils have played just six matches this season, all of them conference games, going 1-5 in those contests. Since going 20-0 in WHAC play in 2019, LTU has struggled with a 5-8 record in the COVID-19 year as they are below .500 again to start this year. LTU is a very young team and are led offensively by a freshman outside hitter Lindsay Hubler who has 94 kills and is hitting .171 on the year. LTU defensively does not have much of a block with just 18 blocks in six games for under one per set. 
 
Scouting Rochester
Cornerstone and Rochester have already met once this season, as CU earned a four set victory. Since that match, RU has gone 2-7, most recently winning in four at UNOH. The Warriors are always athletic and scrapy on the defensive end as they average 17.02 digs per set to rank 48^th in the country. Libero Carly Rodman already has 373 digs to average 6.11 a set for fourth best in the NAIA. 
 
Scouting Goshen
Goshen and Cornerstone have not met since 2014, and CU is 7-1 all-time against the Maple Leafs. This season, Goshen has already played 21 matches and gone 3-18 in those games and is currently on a nine-game losing streak. Four of the teams five leading kill getters are freshmen, as middle blocker Emily Lynch leads the team at 128 kills. Of the GC 18 losses, 14 have been via the sweep as they have been unable to stop the opponents attack, giving up nearly 300 more kills than they have recorded at 849. 
 
Volleyball Contact: Jesse Campbell 
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