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Spikin’ hot ‘Cats: Northern Michigan University volleyball team improves to 9-1 with sweeps of Grand Valley, Davenport

This photo collage celebrates Northern Michigan University’s Lizzy Stark getting her 1,000th collegiate kill in the second set against Grand Valley State on Friday at Vandament Arena in Marquette. Each photo in this collection are Stark hits and celebrations in the second set. The background image is at the end of the match. (Photo illustration courtesy Daryl T. Jarvinen)

Up next: The Wildcats remain home at Vandament Arena to host Lake Superior State at 7 p.m. Friday, Ferris State at 3 p.m. Saturday and Michigan Tech at 7 p.m. next Tuesday

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MARQUETTE — Things couldn’t have started better for the Northern Michigan University volleyball team this season.

That continued over the weekend after the Wildcats opened the GLIAC portion of their season with a pair of home sweeps.

Just to put a capper on all that success, Northern outside hitter Lizzy Stark recorded her 1,000th collegiate kill in a Friday victory over Grand Valley State, the team chosen No. 1 in the league’s preseason coaches poll.

NMU improved to 9-1 overall with the 2-0 conference mark after the sweeps that also included Davenport on Saturday at Vandament Arena in Marquette.

Those two matches began a five-match homestand, all in the GLIAC, that continues with matches against Lake Superior State at 7 p.m. Friday, Ferris State at 3 p.m. Saturday and Michigan Tech at 7 p.m. next Tuesday.

Those will be the Wildcats’ last home matches, however, until a week into October.

Here is a rundown of the past weekend’s matches:

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NMU 3, Grand Valley St. 0

On Friday evening, Stark finished with 15 kills to surpass the coveted 1,000 mark, while teammate Jacqueline Smith missed her career high in kills by one with 22 as Northern prevailed in three close sets, 25-23, 25-23, 25-21.

Stark also posted a nifty .519 hitting percentage.

The Wildcats’ Rayne Thompson and Meghan Meyer each tallied two blocks while Caylie Barlage made two service aces.

Lauren Van Remortel had 40 of the team’s 47 assists, while Alli Yacko had 16 digs and Madeline Crowley 10.

In the opening set, Grand Valley went on an 8-2 run to take a 16-14 lead, but Northern countered with its own 5-1 streak to re-establish a 19-17 advantage. In that streak, Smith had a pair of kills, Meyer one and Barlage an ace.

But the Lakers kept it close, in fact taking leads of 21-20 and 22-21 and tying it 23-23, before the Wildcats ended the set with a Stark kill and Yacko ace.

GVSU jumped out quickly to start Set 2, assuming leads of 5-1 and 7-3 before a 4-0 NMU run gave the Wildcats a 10-9 lead. In that streak, Meyer had two kills and Stark one.

The teams jockeyed for position all the rest of the set with only one lead of more than two points after that — a 17-14 NMU lead on a back-to-back kills by McKenzie Gruner and Stark.

The Wildcats ended the set when, with Northern leading 24-23, Smith made a kill.

Grand Valley made another attempt at taking control early in the third set, leading 15-8, before NMU went on a 6-1 run to pull within 17-15. In that string, Stark made back-to-back kills to go with a Meyer kill and Barlage ace.

Trailing 20-16, the Wildcats finished the set and match on a 9-1 run that included a Van Remortel kill and four straight kills by Smith. The final points came on a Stark kill and back-to-back GVSU attack errors.

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NMU 3, Davenport 0

On Saturday afternoon, Smith made 16 kills and Stark 12, while Yacko had 11 digs and Smith 10.

And Van Remortel had 36 of the team’s 41 assists as Northern prevailed in another close match, 25-21, 26-24, 25-23, against the team picked just ahead of the Wildcats’ in the GLIAC preseason poll. The Panthers were installed as the No. 5 team and NMU No. 6.

Meyer was efficient with a .688 hitting percentage.

The Wildcats spotted Davenport the first four points of the match, but roared back with a 7-1 run to go ahead 8-6 after four Meyer kills, one by Stark and one by Thompson along with a Barlage ace.

The teams traded the lead after several scoring spurts before a Smith kill put NMU up 24-21 and a bad set by the Panthers ended the set.

DU also held the lead in the early going of the second set, but an 5-0 run by Northern, paced by Meyer and Smith kills along with a Crowley ace, put the Wildcats up 12-11.

Neither team got more than a two-point lead until DU scored back-to-back points to assume a 22-19 advantage. But Northern answered with a 4-0 run, including kills by Meyer and Smith, to put the home team ahead 23-22. After several traded points, a Smith kill and Davenport ball handling error broke a 24-24 deadlock and ended the set.

NMU trailed throughout the early going of the third set, too, before Northern got its first lead at 10-9 on a Gruner kill.

The Panthers reassumed the lead until a 4-0 run by the Wildcats put them ahead for good. That run included a Smith kill and three DU errors.

The match and the weekend ended on a Meyer kill.

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

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