MARQUETTE – After a rough start to last season when the Wildcats started 0-4, the Northern Michigan University volleyball team opened on a much better note this season on Thursday evening.

The Wildcats took down Lake Superior State in three sets, 25-17, 25-11, 25-16, in the first match of the three-day Wildcat Open at Vandament Arena in Marquette.

Lisa Studnicka led NMU with 10 kills, while Alex Berger and Meghan Seymour both had three aces in this nonconference matchup.

“It was a good start,” Northern head coach Dominic Yoder said. “Our players really played tough and we were able to shuffle a lot of players in to get them some experience in their first opening night.

“We’ve still got some things to work on, but I’m happy with our overall performance. Any time you win the first one, it’s always a good feeling.”

In the first set, NMU jumped out to a 6-2 lead before the Lakers came back to tie it at 9-9. After Lake State took a brief lead, the Wildcats stormed back, going on a 7-0 run highlighted by two kills by Studnicka.

NMU stayed in control for the rest of the set, ending it with four straight points.

The Wildcats dominated the second set, taking an 11-4 lead after four straight kills and forcing the Lakers to take a timeout. NMU kept rolling the remainder of the frame, winning it by the biggest margin of the night.

Lake State kept the third set close early, staying within one or two points for the majority of the set. However, NMU closed out the match with six points in a row, including a kill by Madison Whitehead and an ace by Mikala Williams.

Yoder was pleased with the performance of Studnicka and Berger, as well as how the underclassmen have progressed.

“Our seniors (Studnicka and Berger) really stepped up tonight,” Yoder said. “Lisa controlled the offense and Alex did a great job with the defense and our serving.

“Our young players are also really coming along well, so we’re pretty happy with them.”

NMU continues play in the Wildcat Open tonight as it faces Cedarville at 7 at Vandament Arena.

The six teams involved in the tourney play matches throughout the day both today and Saturday.

Here is the rest of the schedule:

TODAY – 11 a.m., Michigan Tech vs. Upper Iowa; 1 p.m., Cedarville (Ohio) vs. Fort Hays State (Kansas); 3 p.m., LSSU vs. Upper Iowa; 5 p.m., MTU vs. Fort Hays; 7 p.m., NMU vs. Cedarville

SATURDAY – 9 a.m., Upper Iowa vs. Fort Hays; 11 a.m., MTU vs. LSSU; 1 p.m., NMU vs. Upper Iowa; 3 p.m., LSSU vs. Cedarville; 5 p.m., NMU vs. Fort Hays; 7 p.m., MTU vs. Cedarville

Tickets good for both days are $24 for adults and $15 for students, or single-day passes are $16 for adults and $10 for students. In addition, single-match tickets for 7 p.m. matches are $8 for adults and $6 for students. NMU students are admitted for free with their student IDs.

Ryan Stieg can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 246. His email address is rstieg@miningjournal.net.