MARQUETTE, Mich. - The Northern Michigan University Volleyball team took on the Michigan Tech Huskies on Halloween Night in the final regular season meeting of the UP schools. In a five-set battle, the Wildcats came back from trailing 2-0 to take the win in front of a ruckus Vandament crowd. 

The first two sets were taken swiftly by the Huskies with scores of 18-25 and 12-25, but as set three rolled around, the 'Cats flipped into gear, winning 25-21. Squeaking out a tight set four 25-23, the Green and Gold ran away with the finale, 15-4. 

"The second set was about as bad of volleyball as we have played," said Mike Lozier. "But we kept fighting, the crowd got into it, and we realized and played to our potential. [Our team] deserved that celebration in the locker room after the match, and I'm really proud of them. 

Jacqueline Smith led the way in kills with 21, tying a season-high. Meghan Meyer added 13 kills while Evynn Layshock contributed 11 to NMU's offense. Lauren Van Remortel totaled 39 assists after entering the match in the second set. Liesl Haugen and Caylie Barlage kept the ball in the air any chance they could with 20 and 17 digs, respectively. 

It was just the second time in nearly six years that the two rivals have gone to a decisive fifth set, with the Wildcats taking the prior instance in April of 2021. 

"This was the last time as we know Vandament that we play Tech," added Lozier. "It mattered, and the important thing for our girls to understand is this rivalry matters. It's our responsibility to play as hard as we can, we made a choice to start doing that, and we got the result we wanted."

The win moves the Wildcats to 9-16 on the season and 6-8 in the GLIAC, just 1.5 games back of fourth place with four games remaining on the schedule. 


Set One 
After taking a point each in the opening two plays, a long rally broke out causing back row members Caylie Barlage and Lauren Cardwell to retrieve some deep returns from the Huskies, but ended in a cross court kill by Michigan Tech, leading 2-1. The Huskies then went on a three-point run of kills to open up a 5-1 edge.

Northern was quick to bounce back as Smith pounded a hit down into the Huskies court. Smith's kill opened up the floodgates for Layshock and Meyer to tally a kill each, closing the deficit to three at 10-7. 

With the 'Cats down by four at 13-9, coach Lozier called a timeout to reset. After returning to the court, Smith smashed down another one of her signature kills, helping the 'Cats close the gap and eventually narrow the margin to just a point at 16-15.

The Huskies retaliated, taking five of the next six points on the Wildcats to lead 21-16. The final three points of the set also went to Tech, edging Northern 25-18 to begin the night.


Set Two 
The second set began similar to the first, with a bit of extra success in favor of the Huskies. But Rayne Thompson found success with the help of Lauren Van Remortel as the Huskies led 5-2. 

The Huskies continued to control the court as the set progressed. As the score hit 15-6 Huskies, the Wildcats took a timeout. Stepping back onto the court, the 'Cats looked for success with a sneaky set to middle hitter Angelina Negron, but Michigan Tech ran away with set two, 25-12. 


Set Three 
The Huskies started out taking the first three points of the set, but the 'Cats weren't going to let them go easily. Helen Beiring sent a perfectly placed kill into Husky territory, completely unrecoverable, as MTU led 3-1 early. 

When the score hit 7-2, Northern opted for timeout, seeming to be the turning point in the match. Coming back to the court with fire in their eyes, a long rally had Smith making three kill attempts, securing pointa with a photo-finish hits. The front row combination of Negron and Van Remortel began to click like two peas in a pod, as Negron sent a line drive right down the middle of the court, tying it up 10-10 near midset.

Tensions were high as the match was on the line, exchanging point-for-point off of long rallies, leading to more noise from the Vandament faithful. Two back-to-back kills by Smith helped the 'Cats gain a lead 22-19 with the set in sight. There was no let-up in sight for the Wildcats, as Smith again does what she does best, finishing the set with two kills capped off by a Van Remortel ace to edge Tech 25-21. 


Set Four
It was undeniable that the momentum was in favor of the Wildcats to open the fourth, as they took a 6-2 lead early on. Smith mixed it up for the Green and Gold, tacking on consecutive service aces. 

Liesl Haugen was a silent savior in the set, as she ran to all four corners of the court to make sure Van Remortel could set up the hitters. Northern extended its lead to 10-5 following an Angelina Negron hammer into the Husky court.

The 'Cats were running away with it as they took the next four points, partially capitalizing on the faults from the visitors. Despite the Huskies sneaking a few points in and chipping away at the defict, Meghan Meyer did what she does best and hit a deep kill into the back corner of the court for a 18-12 lead.

The 'Cats were two points away from pushing the match to a fifth and final set when Michigan Tech called a timeout. Leading them to take the next two points, closing the score to 23-22. Working with set point up 24-23, an attack error from MTU pushed the match to a sudden death fifth set. 


Set Five
Northern took the first two points of the set, as Smith continued with the hot hand with a kills.
Negron continued the Green and Gold wave of momentum with a turnaround 90 degree kill, completely missed by the Huskies, leading to a Husky timeout with NMU in front 6-2. 

The Vandament continued to help feed electricity into the 'Cats, as Meyer was set up by Caylie Barlage for the kill, leading 8-3 as the teams switched sides. NMU finished out the match with eight of the final nine points, with a Julia Bouma service ace capping of a commanding 15-4 fifth set win, completing the comeback for Northern.


Up Next
The Wildcats will return to the Vandament Arena for two home games this weekend. Game one will be on Friday, November 3 at 6:30 p.m. against Saginaw Valley State University. Senior Day will take place on Saturday, November 4 at 3:30 p.m. against Ferris State.