GLIAC Volleyball Weekly Honors: Northern Michigan’s Gruner, Wayne State’s Giroux & Grand Valley State’s Orlet Earn Player of the Week Awards
ALLENDALE, Mich. – The Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) announced its weekly award winners for Week 11 of the 2025 volleyball season on Monday, recognizing outstanding performances from Northern Michigan, Wayne State, and Grand Valley State players.Northern Michigan senior middle blocker McKenzie Gruner was named Offensive Player of the Week, Wayne State senior middle blocker Kayla Giroux earned Defensive player of the Week honors, and Grand Valley State freshman setter Gabby Orlet was selected as Setter of the Week.
Gruner spearheaded the Wildcats‘ strong finish to the regular season, securing the No. 3 seed in the upcoming GLIAC Tournament.She led Northern Michigan to back-to-back home victories, beginning with a 3-0 sweep of Lake Superior State where she recorded 14 kills and hit.440, including crucial points late in the third set. Gruner then elevated her performance in the regular season finale, delivering 19 kills with a .531 hitting percentage in a 3-1 win against Saginaw Valley state, adding five blocks to her stat line. Over the weekend, Gruner averaged 4.13 kills per set while maintaining a.466 hitting percentage, concluding the regular season with 331 total kills and a .318 attack percentage. Northern Michigan (15-13, 12-4 GLIAC) will now host a GLIAC Quarterfinal match against Parkside on Wednesday at 6 p.m. at Vandament Arena.
Wayne State’s Giroux was recognized for her dominant defensive presence as the Warriors secured a share of the GLIAC Regular Season Championship – their first in 44 years. The senior racked up 13 blocks (1.86 per set), including three solo blocks, during the week. Giroux also contributed offensively,hitting .297 with 29 kills and 10 errors on 64 total attacks. This is the second GLIAC Defensive Player of the Week award of Giroux’s career, and her first since her freshman season in 2022.
Grand Valley State freshman Gabby Orlet continued to impress, earning GLIAC Setter of the Week honors for the second time this season. Orlet totaled 81 assists, 17 digs, 10 kills, two blocks, and two service aces across two matches. She recorded 36 assists, six digs, four kills, two aces, and a block in a match at Wayne State, and then tied her career-high with 45 assists in just three sets during a sweep of Purdue Northwest, adding 11 digs, six kills, and a block. This season, Orlet has accumulated 226 assists, 53 digs, 20 kills, nine blocks, and seven service aces.
GLIAC Weekly Honorable Mentions:
Offence: Leigha Baldwin (Wayne State),Sam Fisch (Parkside),Meghan O’Sullivan (Grand Valley State),Gabby Piazza (Ferris State),Karley Pretzer (Davenport),Rachel Zurek (Michigan Tech)
Defense: Lexi Armstrong (Grand Valley State),Hope Davies (Ferris State),Julia Fledderjohn (Michigan Tech),Julia Frederick (Davenport),Natalie Harris (Parkside),Liesl haugen (Northern Michigan)
Setter: Allie Barlow (Northern Michigan),Madison Berry (Davenport),Kayla Dulgar (Wayne State),Madelynn Kreider (Michigan Tech),Lily Ray (Parkside),Hayley Wegener (Ferris State)
