NMU volleyball opens homestand with nat’l No. 1 Ferris
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Northern Michigan University's Liesl Haugen, front on a knee, digs the ball during a match played against Minnesota-Duluth at the UP North Volleyball Tournament at Vandament Arena in Marquette on Aug. 28. (Photo courtesy Cara Kamps)
The Wildcats host the first of four consecutive league matches on Friday evening at its own Vandament Arena before setting out on the road again for its final two play dates of the regular season.
NMU hosts national No. 1, undefeated and GLIAC-leading Ferris State at 6 p.m. Friday in their only meeting this season. Apparently, the league having 11 members doesn't allow home-and-home matches with every GLIAC foe.
This would be a great time to pull off an upset, as the Wildcats have a tenuous grip on a top-four position that would gain them home court in the first-round quarterfinals of the upcoming GLIAC Tournament during the second week of November.
Northern is 10-10 overall and tied for third in the league at 6-4. Saginaw Valley State shares that spot with the same 6-4 mark, while Davenport is a half-game back at 6-5, and Michigan Tech and Wisconsin-Parkside close behind them at 5-5.
Following Friday's match, the Wildcats host ninth-place Purdue Northwest at 4 p.m. Saturday.
NMU is coming off winning once in three matches at the Midwest Region Crossover hosted by Purdue NW in Hammond, Indiana, against teams with winning records from the Great Lakes Valley Conference and Great Midwest Athletic Conference.
Ferris comes to Marquette at 21-0 overall and 10-0 in the GLIAC, while Purdue NW is 5-15 and 2-8.
Fans can stay connected @NMU_Wildcats and @NMU_Volleyball on Instagram and X (formerly Twitter) for updates this weekend, or visit the Northern athletics website at nmuwildcats.com and look under the volleyball schedule for links to ticket information, live video, live statistics and a preview.
"To be successful, we're really going to have to play clean volleyball," Wildcats head coach Mike Lozier said in an NMU Sports Information release previewing the matches. "We are going to have to get players to step up.
"Two very different styles and two different levels, but they'll both require us to show up and play well."
At the Midwest Crossover, Northern defeated Lewis of the GLVC in four sets before going the same number of sets in losses to G-MAC members Ohio Dominican and Findlay, both past members of the GLIAC.
The Wildcats' Kaylie McIntosh had a dozen kills each in the first day's matches vs. Lewis and Ohio Dominican, while teammate Anna O'Keefe totaled 20 kills in those matches and Laynie Russell 19.
In addition, NMU's Lauren Cardwell had 25 digs that day.
In Saturday's loss to Findlay, Northern's KC Fortune made a dozen kills, 11 digs and three service aces, while McIntosh and Russell had 10 kills apiece.
Senior setter Allie Barlow has been named GLIAC Setter of the Week twice already this season, totaling 798 assists and averaging 9.98 per set, each third in the conference. Serving-wise, she's second in the league with 39 aces and 0.49 aces per set, with a seven-ace performance at Lake Superior State on Oct. 3 the highest total by any player in a GLIAC match this season.
McIntosh leads the NMU attack with 254 kills, ranking her fifth in the league, which included a career-high 28 vs. MTU on Sept. 22.
Looking at the opponents this weekend, Ferris has pulled off 3-0 sweep in 18 of 21 matches, winning 63 of 68 sets. The Bulldogs are second in the nation with a .319 attack percentage and 14.6 kills per set, ranking 11th with 13.1 assists per set.
In the GLIAC, they're the No. 1 defending team -- FSU leads the league with per-set opponent totals of 8.91 assists, 10.22 kills, 1.03 blocks and 1.06 aces.
Head coach Tia Brandel-Wilhelm is in her 31st season and fifth-winningest coach in D-II.
Purdue NW, though struggling overall, came up with a recent sweep of LSSU and a five-set upset win over MTU. Northern scored a four-set win of the Lions at their gym on Sept. 11.
Senior Anika Huelskamp leads Purdue NW with 185 kills, including at least 15 in four straight matches. The Lions are also third in the GLIAC with 1.84 blocks per set.
Story contents based on Northern Michigan University Sports Information press release previewing the matches. Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee's email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.