CANYON, Texas — The Northern Michigan volleyball team defeated Eastern New Mexico in five sets in its first match of the Lady Buff Classic.

The Wildcats took the fifth set, 15-12, to move to 2-0 on the season.

"This was a gutsy win for our team," head coach Dominic Yoder said. "It was a fast turnaround from last night, but we weathered the storm."

After dropping the first set, 25-18, Northern Michigan prevailed in the second, 29-27, to even the score. The Wildcats fell into a 22-18 hole late, but they went on a 6-2 run to even the score at 24, fighting off three set points in the process.

The teams traded points until a kill by Marta Fraga Guntin put Northern Michigan ahead by one. A bad set by a Greyhound sealed the set.

Eastern New Mexico responded from its tight loss by winning the third set, 25-19. The Wildcats quickly regrouped and dispatched the Greyhounds by a commanding 25-15 margin in the fourth set to force the decisive final frame.

In the fourth set, Northern Michigan built an early 14-8 advantage and never let Eastern New Mexico back within six. The Wildcats carried that momentum into the fifth set, racing out to a 10-4 lead by winning six-straight points with Rachel Braunschweig serving.

That run decided the match; while the Greyhounds would draw within one late, they would never tie the score again. A kill by Madison Whitehead ended the match.

For the second-straight match, Bridget Bussell led the Northern Michigan attack, recording 12 kills. Whitehead also reached the double digits in kills with 11.

"We had another strong performance from Bridget and Madison," Yoder said. "They definitely kept us in the match."

A day after setting a new career high with 20 digs, Megan Dahl recorded 23. Jami Hogeboom posted a match-high 47 assists and tied Bussell for the team lead with five blocks.

The Wildcats continue play in the Lady Buff Classic tonight, taking on host West Texas A&M at 8:30 p.m. That match will be streamed live here.