NMU volleyball’s Barlow, Haugen earn league honors

MARQUETTE -- Illustrating the success their Northern Michigan University team had over the weekend, two players from the Wildcats volleyball team were accorded honors on Tuesday from the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

Senior Allie Barlow was named GLIAC Setter of the Week, while fellow senior Liesl Haugen earned GLIAC Defensive Player of the Week after NMU won six of seven sets in a home victory over Wisconsin-Parkside and road triumph at Lake Superior State.

"Allie and Liesl continue to remind everyone why they will go down as two of the best players to come through this historic program," Northern head coach Mike Lozier said in an NMU Sports Information news release detailing the honors. "Their on-court performances are only outshone by their leadership.

"Liesl went dig for dig with the defending libero of the year in our matchup Friday night, and Allie goes out and gets seven aces on Saturday. Really awesome stuff from both of them.

"I also want to commend our entire team on the weekend sweep. These awards are special, not only for the individuals themselves, but also for the team as a whole, because it takes a team effort for anyone to achieve individual successes."

Barlow actually won her award for the second straight week after she helped the Wildcats beat Michigan Tech in five sets two weeks ago as NMU also lost at nationally ranked Grand Valley State.

This past weekend, NMU took out Parkside in four sets and swept LSSU in three sets.

Versus Parkside, the Cedar Rapids, Iowa, native recorded 44 assists, 11 digs, five kills, two service aces and two blocks.

Then against Lake State, she had seven aces, the most in a conference three-set match this season and far more than the total put up by every other player on both teams combined. She also had 28 assists, three kills and three digs.

For the season, she's totaled 628 assists and averages 10.30 assists per set, both No. 2 in the GLIAC.

Haugen, from Maple Grove, Minnesota, had a season-high 29 digs vs. the Rangers, most in a four-set league match this season, then added 17 vs. LSSU. Also over the two matches, she totaled seven assists and three aces.

She ranks third in the GLIAC with 4.53 digs per set and 263 total, recently surpassing 1,500 in her career, just the fourth Wildcat to do so in program history.

This pair have been instrumental and among the most consistent players for a Wildcats team that has compiled a 5-3 league mark, good for a tie for third, and 8-8 overall.

Saturday's match at the Lakers was the first of six consecutive matches away from Vandament Arena, with GLIAC encounters in Grand Rapids at Davenport at 6 p.m. Friday and in Detroit at Wayne State at 4 p.m. Saturday.

The following weekend, NMU heads to Hammond, Indiana, for what is technically a neutral-site set of three matches at the Midwest Crossover.

Then Northern returns home for a late-season five-match homestand, opening with a 6 p.m. match on Friday, Oct. 23, against undefeated and league-leading Ferris State.

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