Athletic Sidebars

Stay connected to your favorite teams with the Laker Athletics app, the official mobile app of the Lake Superior State Lakers, powered by SIDEARM Sports.
 
Featuring real-time news alerts, schedules, exclusive multimedia content, gameday details and more, the new Laker Athletics app is free and compatible with both iOS and Android devices.
 
Through the app, Laker fans will enjoy a personalized mobile experience with the ability to manage tickets, plan ahead with team schedules and receive breaking news and score notifications for the teams they follow.
 
The app is designed with a user-friendly interface that integrates with lssulakers.com to bring the latest Laker digital content right to your fingertips. Additionally, it includes links to video and audio streams of live games, in-game stats, and team social media feeds.
 
"The Laker Athletics app is a must-have for Laker fans," said Matt Pocket, Director of Athletic Communications. "Once you turn on push notifications for your favorite teams, you'll receive updates as games start and end, along with instant access to published stories. We've got so much exciting content mapped out for our teams, student-athletes and fans for 2026-27 and can't wait to share it with you through the app."
 
To download the app to your smartphone or tablet, visit the App Store or Google Play and search for "Lake Superior State Athletics."

Watch the official video announcement, including promotion of Laker Volleyball's upcoming Gold-Blue Scrimmage here.

Day one dominance at the Thomas More Tournament earned Lake Superior State a pair of straight sets victories on Friday, September 4. The Lakers (2-4, 0-0 GLIAC) swept aside Central State 25-15, 25-22, 25-17, then crushed Kentucky State 25-22, 25-16, 25-19 in Crestview Hills, KY.

"We're feeling awesome," said fourth-year right side hitter Shea Berisoff shortly after the match. "Coming off of a tough year last year, we wanted to do some bigger things. We've worked super hard this preseason, so it was really nice to see us working together as a unit and getting the ball rolling."

Berisoff started the day well against Central State (0-2, 0-0 SIAC), scoring eight kills on 21 hits. She devastated the Kentucky State (0-1, 0-0 SIAC) defense in the second match of the day, scoring 12 kills on 25 hits and tallying a .440 attacking percentage. Berisoff laughed when she heard her stats, then immediately praised her teammates.

"I didn't even know," she exclaimed. "We can't do that without the pass. The sets were amazing. We played lights out defense. Everything was working for us today."

"She was really focused on putting the ball everywhere we talked about and following the scouting report," said Laker Head Coach Chelsea Cooke-Tripp. "She took advantage of those details, exploited them and used them in her favor."

The Lakers showed their growth from last weekend's Hardrocker Tournament by closing out the Central State match in a big way. They gave the Marauders no quarter, hitting .435 in the third set and taking eight of the last 10 points to clinch the match. While Cooke-Tripp was thrilled with her team's offensive work, she pointed out that it hadn't been the side of the net the squad had worked on during the short week before traveling to the tournament. The Lakers largely focused on their defensive work, then held the Marauders to a -.032 hitting percentage. Cooke-Tripp praised the team's defensive discipline.

"I'm really pleased with our tenaciousness today. We were focused on doing our part, doing the little things on our side."

In the second match of the day, LSSU hammered the Kentucky State Thorobrettes in straight sets. Berisoff's 12 kills and Elisa Rizzoli's 13 dismantled the opposition defensively, while the passing of Avery Headworth drew quality reviews.

"Avery delivered a good tempo ball to our hitters and made the right selections," said Cooke-Tripp. "I think that really showed in our play."

The Lakers won six straight sets on Friday, then turn their attention to Saturday morning's doubleheader. They'll face Salem at 9:00 AM, then quickly prepare to play hosts Thomas More at 11:30 AM. But before the dawn of a new day, before the next matches, the team reflected on how nice it was to win twice.

"I want them to enjoy it and remember those feelings, what it was like and how good it was," Cooke-Tripp said. "I talk to the team about remaining in the present but also learning from our past. Try not to focus too much on negative things, but focus on the good things and what we can learn from those."

She added, "It's been a long time coming. Tomorrow, we're just going to focus on the same thing, focus on us and the things we need to do to continue to succeed. Our main focus is working as a unit to be the best we can."

On Saturday, September 5, the morning victory at the Thomas More Tournament looked like a copy-paste of Friday's results for Lake Superior State. The Lakers (3-5, 0-0 GLIAC) swept Salem 25-16, 25-22, 25-16 in Crestview Hills, KY, crushing the Tigers with a .252 hitting percentage and nine blocks at the net. The Lakers dropped the second match of the day to host Thomas More, 25-18, 25-21, 25-15.

Amilia Ashcroft scored five services aces against Salem, tied for the most in a match in the GLIAC this season. Elisa Rizzoli led the Lakers in kills in both matches, scoring eight in the early contest against the Tigers (4-3, 0-0 PBC) and another 13 in the late morning contest against the Saints (3-3 0-0 GMAC).

"Eli just hits the stuffing out of the ball," said Head Coach Chelsea Cooke-Tripp. "She's very strong and can be very dynamic. When I give her feedback, she's quick to adjust. You need to have that outside on the pin. You have to be able to do everything well. She takes that feedback and makes adjustments quickly."

Rizzoli also tallied 15 digs in each match, leading LSSU in kills and digs. She's led LSSU in kills six times, paced the team in digs four times and topped the stat sheet in both columns three times this season. She's seventh in the GLIAC in kills per set and points, while holding ninth for digs per set.

The Lakers dominated from the opening serve against Salem, scoring the first eight points. Azra Bilgiçer's service put the Tigers under heavy pressure, and they committed two attacking errors and two setting errors in the opening rallies. LSSU held Salem to a .119 hitting percentage, and the Lakers hit over .260 in the first and third sets.

"I'm super proud of the players," Cooke-Tripp said. "We went through some ups and downs but learned how to push through a lot of tougher moments. That helped us in our matches yesterday and our match this morning. Those teams were aggressive, but we came together as a unit. The Thomas More game was very competitive, they're a solid team. We feel good going into conference play."

Morgan Deming scored a solo block and two assists for LSSU against Thomas More. She's 10th in the GLIAC in blocks per set with eight matches completed.

Bilgiçer impressed from the service line, scoring two aces for the Lakers. It was a short turnaround for the team, with matches scheduled for 9:00 AM and 11:30 AM after competing in the 6:00 PM match on Friday.

"This morning, we were a little nervous because we had to turn around quickly and play again," said Cooke-Tripp. "We were gassed, a bit tired, but we put up a really good fight. Thomas More is a really strong team. They were hard to defend against. But our players stayed very present, took great feedback and followed our scout report."

The Lakers now turn their attention to conference play, which begins Friday against Grand Valley State in Allendale, MI. Lake Superior State then heads to Wisconsin Parkside the next day.

The Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference has announced that Lake Superior State University's Athletics Department and Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) have won the 2025-26 GLIAC SAAC Community Service Championship. It's LSSU's first championship in the competition, which began in the 2023-24 academic year.

"Winning the GLIAC SAAC Community Service Championship means a lot, because it shows what our student-athletes are capable of outside of competition," said LSSU SAAC President Gary Haight. "We're the smallest school in the conference, but that never stopped us from making the biggest impact locally. Seeing 140 LSSU student-athletes come together and give more than 3,100 hours to our community is truly amazing, and it makes me incredibly proud to be a Laker."

Campus SAAC advisors like Haight are student-athletes who lead community engagement and track the number of hours and money raised. Haight, who competes for the Lakers Men's Cross Country and Track and Field Teams, said that LSSU student-athletes served for a combined 3,101.5 hours, an average of nearly a full day of community service per student-athlete. Hours included team activities or individual community service with local organizations. 

While many student-athletes already participate in community events within their region, the GLIAC developed the GLIAC SAAC Community Service Championship to recognize and celebrate the efforts of those who do the most. The league created a contest as an extra incentive to drive these highly-motivated individuals to continue and improve their efforts.

"Championships are measured in many ways, and this one speaks directly to the character of our student-athletes," said Lake Superior State Athletics Director Tory Lindley. "Their willingness to invest thousands of hours serving others demonstrates that being a Laker means more than competing at a high level. It means leading through service, building relationships, and leaving our community better than they found it. This recognition is one they should all be incredibly proud of."

Haight added, "Our impact shows that we really have a strong sense of community and a lot of people who are willing to give their time to help others. I'm excited to see how we can raise the bar even more for the 2026-27 season and try to win this championship again!"

Lake Superior State proudly celebrates the 2025-26 GLIAC SAAC Community Service Championship ahead of the 2026-27 season. Follow the Lakers across social media platforms and download the Lake Superior State Lakers app for the latest news and scores, available now on the App Store and Google Play.