SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. – Roosevelt started off its Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference journey with a tough three-set loss to Lake Superior State on Friday evening in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan.

The visiting Lakers (1-8, 0-1 GLIAC) were in the match for all three sets despite the misleading 25-14, 26-24, 25-14 scoreline. Roosevelt was tied seven times in the opening set and the lead changed hands four times. In the second set, it was tied six times and the advantage flipped just twice. The third set was tight at moments with the Lakers crawling within one at several points before Lake Superior State pulled away.

Vivienne Merchant led the way with six kills, all of which came in the final two sets, and two others added five kills for Roosevelt. Yuliia Shchepkina had four blocks in the match while Cydney Martinez tied with Emily DeBlecourt for the team lead with nine digs.

FIGHTING TIL THE END: The second set Friday was the fifth time this season Roosevelt has pushed a set into overtime.

RECORD HUNT: Zoe Hutchinson dished out a team-best 14 assists in the match to move to within 47 of 1,000 career assists. Only four other Lakers have reached 1,000 assists in their career, and Hutchinson has a chance to move into fifth place all-time Saturday as she sits just one assist behind Mackenzie Bell for that honor.

UP NEXT: The Lakers continue their road swing with a trip to Saginaw Valley State on Saturday with first serve scheduled for 5 p.m. in University Center, Mich. This will be the first ever meeting between the Cardinals and Lakers.