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Northern Michigan University volleyball Wildcats sweep Saginaw Valley State

Jacqueline Smith

MARQUETTE — Northern Michigan University began a six-match volleyball homestand on the right foot, sweeping a pair of matches from Saginaw Valley State over the weekend at Vandament Arena.

The Wildcats defeated SVSU 25-14, 25-12, 21-25, 25-21 on Friday before again dispatching the Cardinals in four sets on Saturday, 25-23, 25-23, 20-25, 25-19.

NMU (3-1) hosts Wisconsin-Parkside at 7 p.m. Friday and 2 p.m. Saturday before completing this group of home matches against Northwood on March 12-13.

On Friday, Northern jumped out to a 7-0 lead in the opening set and was never headed, while a much closer second set was broken open, when leading 8-7, the Wildcats’ Jacqueline Smith had three kills, Ania Hyatt one and Lauren Caprini two service aces to suddenly make it 15-7.

The final set was also close with NMU up 19-18 before a Meghan Meyer kill and Smith ace gave the Wildcats a four-point victory.

Hailey Wickstrom

Smith led Northern with 22 kills while adding three aces. Lizzy Stark had 11 kills, while Caprini also had three aces. Smith also had 24 digs and Alli Yacko 22. Hyatt made three blocks.

On Saturday, Smith made a kill to give Northern its first lead in the opening set at 12-11. It stayed close until a bad set from SVSU clinched it for the home team.

In the second set, SVSU erased NMU’s 15-12 lead with six straight points, including three kills by the Cardinals’ Haley Clum, before the Wildcats answered with their own six-point run highlighted by Meyer and Hailey Wickstrom each getting back-to-back kills.

The final set includes several short runs by NMU to clinch the match.

Smith and Wickstrom each had 15 kills for Northern, while Smith also had 14 digs.

Lauren Van Remortel and Caprini each had three aces, while Meyer had six blocks, two of them solo.

Information compiled by Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee. His email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.

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