NMU volleyball sweeps weekend to move into 3rd
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MARQUETTE -- The Northern Michigan University volleyball team rose into a tie for third place in the conference after sweeping a pair of matches over the weekend.
Starting the swing at their home Vandament Arena, the Wildcats defeated Wisconsin-Parkside in four sets, then hit the road to dispatch Lake Superior State in three straight sets the following day.
NMU improved to 8-8 overall and 5-3 in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, good for a four-way tie with Michigan Tech (9-7 overall), Saginaw Valley State (12-5) and Davenport (11-4).
Those teams trail only league leader Ferris State (15-0, 7-0 GLIAC) and Grand Valley State (13-3, 7-1). Parkside slipped to 10-5 and 4-4 in the conference, while Lake State fell into a tie for the bottom at 3-13 and 0-8.
This week, Northern remains on the road, traveling to Grand Rapids to take on fellow third-place Davenport at 6 p.m. Friday, then heading east to Detroit to take on eighth-place Wayne State at 4 p.m. Saturday.
After the following weekend for three nonconference matches at the Midwest Crossover in Hammond, Indiana, the Wildcats return home at 6 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 23, to host undefeated Ferris State, followed a day later by hosting last-place Purdue Northwest at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 24.
Here are details from the past weekend:
NMU 3, Parkside 1
On Friday at Vandament Arena, Northern prevailed in convincing fashion, 25-16, 21-25, 25-18, 25-19.
NMU won every team statistic, the closest in digs 80-79, but also outattacked 56-47 in kills while collecting its second-best attack percentage of the season at .244.
KC Fortune led the Wildcats' offense with a match-high 16 kills
Northern Michigan University's Taylor Smaka readies to serve with the Wildcats' bench behind her during a GLIAC volleyball match played against Wisconsin-Parkside at Vandament Arena in Marquette on Friday. (Photo courtesy Carla Kamps)
Teammates Larsen Bonnstetter, Anna O'Keefe and Laynie Russell each had four blocks.
"We knew this was going to be a very competitive match, but we played with a lot of intensity and truly earned that win as a team," Fortune said in an NMU Sports Information news release detailing the match. "It really started in the back row. Our defense gave us a lot of offensive opportunities, and our block slowed down their attacks.
"We kept leaning into each other's strengths."
In the opening set, Northern opened a 12-7 lead with a three-point run spurred by a Barlow ace, opening it to 18-13 before a four-point run made it 23-15. The last run included two Kaylie McIntosh kills and one by O'Keefe with a Barlow ace thrown in.
The Wildcats finished off the first set with back-to-back kills by Fortune and Barlow.
In the second set, the teams perfectly ping-ponged the first 10 points to make it 5-5, but Parkside then went on a 9-2 run to make it 13-7. NMU clawed back with a pair of four-point runs to get within 19-17, the two runs together including kills by McIntosh and Russell with a Fortune ace and five Rangers errors.
Parkside got hot again, getting to set point at 24-18, which Northern saved three straight times that included McIntosh and O'Keefe kills. But the Rangers closed it out to even the match at a set apiece.
Set 3 opened back and forth before NMU rattled off five consecutive points to make it 14-9. That streak included two Haugen aces and a Fortune kill.
The Wildcats kept a lead of at least three points the rest of the way, pulling away with a 5-1 run that included Bonnstetter, O'Keefe and Fortune kills.
The fourth set was tied 9-9 before an 8-1 run by Northern made it 19-12, the spurt including two kills by O'Keefe and one each by Fortune, Barlow and Sydney Bartels.
While a Rangers' five-point run got them within 19-17, NMU wouldn't let the visitors get any closer, ending the match on a McIntosh kill.
NMU 3, LSSU 0
On Saturday afternoon in Sault Ste. Marie, the Wildcats won 25-21, 25-14, 25-20.
Barlow served seven aces, while all other players on both teams together had just two, both from NMU players, too.
McIntosh led the Northern attack with 12 kills, while Barlow also had 28 assists. O'Keefe tacked on 10 kills and two blocks, while Haugen had 17 digs and Bonnstetter four blocks.
While the Lakers starting with an opening 8-6 lead, the Wildcats used a 6-1 run to take a 12-9 advantage, including a pair of McIntosh kills and one each by O'Keefe and Russell.
The lead increased to 16-11 before the teams traded points the rest of the opening set for NMU's win.
LSSU again jumped out early in the second set with the first two points, but Northern immediately went on a 9-2 run to make it 9-4. That string included two kills each by Barlow and Fortune and one by O'Keefe.
The Lakers got back in it with a 4-1 run that pulled them within 13-11, but the Wildcats answered by scoring 12 of the final 15 points for a double-digit win.
NMU kept the momentum going for the third set, racing to a 10-2 lead and bumping it to 18-7 before the Lakers caught their collective breaths. LSSU went on its own 7-1 run to get within five, then saved match point four times at 24-16 before a McIntosh kill ended the day.
Story contents based on a pair of Northern Michigan University Sports Information press releases reviewing the matches. Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee's email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.