MARQUETTE, Mich.  – Northern Michigan University and Michigan Technological University went five sets in a thrilling Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletics Conference volleyball match, but the Wildcats dropped the final set 18-16, falling to the Huskies 3-2.

Michigan Tech took the first set 25-21, but NMU rebounded and took the second set 25-23.  The Wildcats went on to win the third set by the largest margin of the match, 25-19. 

In the fourth set, Michigan Tech jumped out to a 5-1 lead, but NMU responded to close the gap, and eventually tied the match at 19-19.  This time, MTU answered with five straight points to lead 24-19.  Two kills, one by senior Kayla Chosa (Wrightstown, Wisc.) and the other by freshman Leticia Antunes (Florianopolis, Brazil/Colegio Ofelia Fonseca), plus two attack errors by the Huskies pulled NMU to within 24-23.  However, Northern Michigan suffered a service error, giving MTU the 25-23 set win to send it to a deciding set.

The fifth set started in similar fashion as the Huskies jumped out 8-3 by the time the teams switched ends.  The teams then exchanged points to an eventually to 14-10 lead for MTU.  Senior Madison Whitehead (Altoona, Wisc.) gave NMU the serve with a kill, which Antunes used for back-to-back aces.  Another Whitehead kill followed by a Husky Attack error gave the Wildcats a 15-14 lead. 

MTU answered with two more points to take a 16-15 lead of their own, but a service error by the Huskies gave NMU a 16-16 tie.  Unfortunately, Michigan Tech would use two kills by Lauren Emmert to take the set 18-16, winning the match 3-2. 

The Wildcats saw four players hit double-figure kills, led by Whitehead's 15. Whitehead is now alone with the fourth most kills in her career, totaling 1,271.  Chosa posted 12 while redshirt sophomore Sarah Kuehn (Green Bay, Wisc./De Pere) added 11.  Junior Autumn Monsma (Grand Haven, Mich.) chipped in with 10.  

Senior Jami Hogeboom (Grand Haven, Mich.) added 54 assists to the evening, and added two aces.  Antunes led the team with three aces.  Sophomore Gabriela Martinez (Vega Baja, Puerto Rico/Colegio Marista/Puerto Rico, Río Piedras) contributed two aces as well. 

Defensively, Antunes posted a team-best 22 digs.  Monsma and junior Rachel Braunschweig (Alamo, Calif./San Ramon Valley/Cape Fear CC) both notched 18 digs. 

At the net, Kuehn finished with eight total aces, while Chosa recorded six total, including three solo blocks.  Whitehead also aided the effort with six block assists.  As a team, NMU finished with a team total of 16 blocks. 

Northern Michigan drops to 18-7 on the year, 10-4 in GLIAC play.  Michigan Tech improved to 17-8, 11-3 in the conference and captured second place in the league.  NMU will look to rebound and avenge an early season defeat as they host GLIAC-leader Ferris State University Friday evening in the Vandament Arena.