NMU Sports

Fading like the sunset

NMU volleyball starts fast in California before losing 3 straight matches

HAYWARD, Calif. -- Their hosts were quite hospitable, but the other teams in the field were downright like bulls in a china shop for the Northern Michigan University volleyball team at the Cal State East Bay Tournament held in the San Francisco metropolitan area late last week.

The Wildcats defeated tourney host Cal State East Bay in five sets on Thursday, then lost to the other three visiting teams they faced on Friday and Saturday, losing in five sets to the Colorado School of Mines and in three straight to Westmont College of Santa Barbara, California, and to San Francisco State.

Now 3-5 after splitting four matches at its own UP North Volleyball Tournament a week earlier, NMU gets ready for its schedule in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

Northern travels to Hammond, Indiana, to take on Purdue Northwest at 5 p.m. EDT Friday, then heads to Chicago to face Roosevelt at 3 p.m. EDT Saturday.

The next 10 days after that include three home GLIAC matches, going against Davenport at 4 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 18, vs. Saginaw Valley State at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 19, and against main Upper Peninsula rival Michigan Tech at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 22.

Here is a synopsis of play in California:

NMU 3, East Bay 2

On Thursday afternoon, the Wildcats won a marathon match lasting just under three hours, 25-23, 20-25, 25-23, 19-25, 17-15.

Statistics piled up like cordwood for a U.P. winter, with Kaylie McIntosh leading Northern in kills with 19, while Anna O'Keefe had 13 and KC Fortune 11 along with 11 digs, two blocks and a service ace.

Liesl Haugen paced the Wildcats in digs with 13, adding in two aces, while Allie Barlow had 46 assists along with 12 digs, two aces and a block.

In a back-and-forth opening set, neither team had more than a two-point until Cal State went on a 5-1 run to go ahead 20-17.

Also trailing 22-19 a few minutes later, the Wildcats then scored the final five points to take the set. In that run, O'Keefe, Barlow and Laynie Russell each had a kill.

Northern asserted itself early in Set 2, going up 4-1 after a pair of McIntosh kills and one from Russell. But this was another set that stayed quite close for a long time.

Cal State opened a 21-16 lead before NMU narrowed it to 23-20, with the hosts scoring the final two points to even the match 1-1.

Though the Wildcats again opened a 6-4 lead to start Set 3, the Pioneers went on a 6-1 run to go up 14-11. Cal State maintained that lead, including at 23-20, but Northern repeated what it did in the first set and scored the final five points to win the set. In that spurt, O'Keefe had a pair of kills and Haugen an ace, while Fortune made a block that caused a Pioneers' attack error.

Cal State then pulled off the match's first real extended run in the fourth set, turning around a 5-2 deficit with a 10-1 run to go up 12-6.

Though Northern turned the tables somewhat with a 5-1 run -- McIntosh had three kills in that string -- they didn't pull even till it was 17-17 with four points in a row as Fortune had a pair of kills.

But the Pioneers pulled one of NMU's tricks, scoring the final five points of the set to even the match at 2-2.

In the sprint to 15 points in the fifth and deciding set, NMU jumped out to a 4-0 lead that included a McIntosh kill. A bit later, the Wildcats' 10-5 lead was erased by five points in a row by Cal State, with points alternating after that until, with the teams tied 15-15, Russell made a kill, then she and Barlow put up a block causing a Cal State attack error to end the match.

Colo. Mines 3, NMU 2

On Friday morning, the Orediggers prevailed after Northern won the first two sets, 22-25, 28-30, 25-23, 25-18, 15-9.

McIntosh again paced the Wildcats attack with 18 kills and three aces, while O'Keefe was right with her with 17 kills. Haugen paced NMU with 24 digs, seven assists and an ace, while Barlow had 50 assists, 13 digs and three blocks. Russell put up six blocks, too.

Northern led throughout the first set, even though CSM got within one point, 21-20. The Wildcats put the set away with a 4-2 run to end it, getting a pair of McIntosh kills and one from Barlow.

The extended second set began the way you'd expect, with the teams trading the lead and the score tied an amazing 17 times by the time it reached 20-20. It was also tied at 24-24 and every point after that until NMU scored back-to-back points on kills by Fortune and O'Keefe to win it. In all, there were 22 ties just in that set.

The Orediggers must've done a better job catching their breath, as they'd then come all the way back from their 2-0 deficit to win it.

In Set 3, NMU led 11-5 before the Mines went on a 5-1 run to pull within 16-14. They kept digging away until they tied it 20-20, then finishing the set on another 5-1 run.

Two good runs by CSM to one by Northern gave the Orediggers a 12-8 lead in the fourth set. Even as Northern tied it at 15-15, the 'Diggers put together a 10-3 run to end that set and even the match.

Northern had its chances in the sprint to 15, taking a 5-2 lead with four straight points that included a pair of McIntosh kills and two Taylor Smaka aces back-to-back.

The Wildcats retied it 9-9, but after that, the Miners put together a 6-0 run to end the set and match.

Westmont 3, NMU 0

On Friday evening, Northern put up a valiant fight early before Westmont prevailed, 27-25, 25-23, 25-16.

Russell had 10 kills and McIntosh eight to go with five blocks. Fortune added six kills, seven digs and three assists, while Cece Huizingh paced the Wildcats with 16 digs as Haugen had 15.

Northern trailed early in the opening set until a 4-0 run made it 9-7 NMU, the string including a pair of Russell kills.

The Wildcats used another 5-0 run to go ahead 20-18, that spurt including two McIntosh kills and a block by McIntosh and Barlow to force a Westmont attack error.

Northern again came on strong late, using a 4-1 run to tie it 25-25, a pair of Fortune kills actually producing the tie. But the Warriors turned the tables with back-to-back kills to end the set.

The second set had much the same feel, each team going on small runs that kept the score close before Westmont scored the final three points to clinch it.

The Warriors jumped out 7-2 in the third set, but despite NMU getting back within one, 14-13, after three straight points that included a Fortune kill, Westmont went on an extended 11-3 spurt to end it.

San Fran 3, NMU 0

On Saturday afternoon, San Francisco State won 25-21, 25-17, 25-15, to end the Wildcats trek west.

Russell paced Northern with nine kills, but Huizingh really shone, making a weekend-high 26 digs in a match that lasted just three sets.

Barlow added 27 assists, two aces and a block.

Northern jumped out 4-1 in the opener as McIntosh, Fortune and Larsen Bonnstetter each had kills.

But the Gators used one run to tie it and another to build a 13-8 lead. The Wildcats got as close as 23-20 down the stretch, that point on a Barlow ace, before an exchange of points ended the comeback attempt.

San Fran State put together a 4-0 run to go up 13-8, but Northern answered with its own four-point spurt, including kills by Russell and Olivia Ziemer and a Smaka ace to get within 15-14.

But NMU only managed three points the rest of the set.

San Fran jumped out 7-2 in Set 3, extending it to 15-7 before exchanging points to end the match.

Story contents based on Northern Michigan University Sports Information press release reviewing the matches. Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee's email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.