Northern Michigan University’s Allie Barlow, center right at net, tries to stuff the ball over during a GLIAC Tournament quarterfinal match played against Wisconsin-Parkside at Vandament Arena in Marquette on Nov. 20. (Photo courtesy Cara Kamps)

MARQUETTE — Not even counting the end-of-the-season GLIAC Tournament, the Northern Michigan University volleyball team has a busy schedule that includes three tourneys this fall for a total of 27 matches.

NMU Sports Information released the schedule on Monday, which features a total of eight matches in back-to-back tournaments to be held in Florida and Minnesota in the first half of September.

The Wildcats have another tournament scheduled for mid-October with information not yet available about where, who and exactly when those matches take place.

Otherwise, the entirety of the rest of the regular season is taken up by conference matches starting Sept. 19 and running through Nov. 15.

The GLIAC Tournament follows the succeeding Wednesday, Nov. 19, with the quarterfinals that NMU hopes to host as a top-four finisher in the regular season. The semifinals and finals follow, which in past years have always been hosted by the highest remaining seed after the quarterfinals.

Before that happens, though, the Wildcats have a busy regular season that includes nine home matches — but none before the final week of September — opponents hailing from nine states and four foes Northern hasn’t faced before.

Three of the new combatants come in the season-opening SpringHill Suites Invitational held in Pensacola, Florida, when NMU plays four matches in three days, Thursday through Saturday, Sept. 4-6, the week and weekend following Labor Day.

The Wildcats open with a first-time match vs. Wheeling (West Virginia) University on the afternoon of Sept. 4, followed by two matches on Sept. 5 — a late-morning match against first-time foe Spring Hill College of Mobile, Alabama, and an evening encounter against more familiar foe Southwest Minnesota State.

The Florida trip wraps up with a match for the first time vs. tourney host West Florida on the morning of Sept. 6.

NMU takes on an almost identical schedule the following week, again playing four matches in three days from Thursday through Saturday, Sept. 11-13, but instead will head west for the Huskies Volleyball Classic in St. Cloud, Minnesota.

Three opponents this time will be familiar. The Wildcats open against Minnesota-Duluth on the evening of Sept. 11, then play twice on Sept. 12, vs. Barry of Miami Shores, Florida, in the morning and against host St. Cloud State in the evening.

The event wraps up for Northern with a match against first-time opponent Adelphi University of Garden City, New York, on the morning of Sept. 13.

After that comes the 17-game GLIAC schedule against the 10 other members of the league, seven teams Northern will see twice and three just once.

NMU starts with eight conference matches in a row from Sept. 19-Oct. 11, six of them on the road. The two at home will be at 6 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 26, vs. Wisconsin-Parkside and at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 27, vs. Roosevelt.

There’s also matches on Sept. 19 at Davenport, Sept. 20 at Ferris State, Oct. 3 at Saginaw Valley State, Oct. 4 at Lake Superior State, Oct. 9 at Michigan Tech and Oct. 11 for the season’s only match at Purdue Northwest.

After that stretch, the Wildcats are scheduled on Oct. 17-18 for two matches at the Midwest Region Volleyball Crossover against opponents and at a location still to be determined.

Then the final nine matches of the regular season follow, all in the GLIAC. Unlike the early stretch, this part of the schedule is overwhelmingly at home, seven of the nine at Vandament Arena.

It starts with the only match vs. Grand Valley State, home at 4 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 24, then the only match against Wayne State, again at home at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 25.

NMU then gets its rematch against Michigan Tech at home at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 28.

Next are the only two road matches of the late season, at Roosevelt on Oct. 31 and at Parkside on Nov. 1.

The Wildcats complete the regular season with four straight matches at Vandament over consecutive weekends — vs. Ferris State at 4 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 7, vs. Davenport at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 8, vs. LSSU at 6 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 14, and vs. SVSU at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 15.

Fans can find the schedule online by visiting the NMU athletics website at nmuwildcats.com and looking under volleyball, or by going directly to https://nmuwildcats.com/sports/womens-volleyball/schedule.

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