MARQUETTE, Mich. - Finishing the regular season at 9-9 in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC), the Northern Michigan Volleyball team is the No. 5 seed in the conference tournament and will open the tournament against rival and No. 4 seed Michigan Tech in the quarterfinals. The match is slated for November 15, at 6 p.m. in the SDC Gymnasium in Houghton.

Northern has a 12-17 overall record. Michigan Tech is 14-15 overall and claimed a 10-8 record vs. conference opponents this season.
 
This will be the first time the rivals have squared off in the postseason, with the last matchup being a memorable one for the 'Cats, a 3-0 sweep over the Huskies for the GLIAC Championship during COVID in April of 2021. The last time the teams faced off in the fall postseason, the Huskies swept Northern in the semifinals in 2019. 


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Follow @NMU_Volleyball and @NMU_Wildcats on X (formerly known as Twitter) for updates leading up to and during the game. 

Wednesday, November 15 - vs. Michigan Tech at 6 p.m. ET
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A Word from Mike Lozier
"We've both proven that we can show up and compete with the best of them. We're poised and ready to compete at the highest level and I feel like it's gonna be a good battle."



Cat Nips

• Junior outside hitter Jacqueline Smith is currently ranked first in the GLIAC in kills per set (3.77). Within conference play she is second in total attacks (761). 
• Senior setter Lauren Van Remortel is ranked fifth in the GLIAC in assists per set (9.45). 
• Freshman libero Liesl Haugen is currently fourth in GLIAC play in digs/set (4.31) and fourth in total digs (299).
• Junior middle blocker Meghan Meyer is third in the conference with a .352 overall attack percentage while she is ranked third in GLIAC matches in solo blocks (21).
• Sophomore middle blocker McKenzie Gruner is sixth within GLIAC play in solo blocks (15).

A Look at The Wildcats
NMU comes into the tournament with a 12-17 overall record and 9-9 record against conference opponents. The Cats finished the season winning four of their last five.

The Cats' are led by their All-American Jacqueline Smith, who in the GLIAC is first in kills per set, and second in total attacks. Northerns offense is also being led by middle blocker Megan Meyer with a dominating hitting percentage (.352), good for third in GLIAC. 


A Look at the Huskies  
The MIchigan Tech Huskies finished their regular season with a 14-15 overall record and 10-8 record vs. conference opponents. The Huskies lost their last game of the season to Lake Superior State in five, after winning its previous three including a road win at Ferris State.  
The Huskies defense is led by Kaycee Meiners who is first in GLIAC in blocks per set (1.20), solo blocks (34), block assists (100), and total blocks (134). The Huskies offense is led by Lindy Oujiri who is sixth in GLIAC in kills (355) and kills per set (3.55).


Previous Matchups
In their first matchup of the season, the Cats' swept the Huskies on the road in Houghton, with set scores 27-25, 26-24, and 25-19. Meghan Meyer and Jacqueline Smith were the stars for Northern, recording 11 kills each. Meyer was an unstoppable force at the net, hitting an dominating .429. Lauren Van Remortel helped her team with 34 assists in the match averaging 11.33 assists/set. 

The second meeting between the two was in Marquette, where the Cats' defeated the Huskies in a five-set thriller. NMU fell in the first two sets, before storming back to win the last three. Jacqueline Smith led the way in kills with 21, tying her season-high. Meghan Meyer added 13 kills and Evynn Layshock contributed 11 to NMU's offense. 

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. 


GLIAC Tournament 

Quarterfinals | Wednesday, November 15 | Hosted by higher seed (campus sites)
 
Match 1           No. 1 Grand Valley State vs. No. 8 Lake Superior State, 6 p.m.                                  
 
Match 2           No. 4 Michigan Tech vs. No. 5 Northern Michigan, 6 p.m.     
                         
Match 3           No. 3 Parkside vs. No. 6 Davenport, 8 p.m. ET           
                         
Match 4            No. 2 Ferris State vs. No. 7 Purdue Northwest, 5 p.m.


Semifinals | Saturday, November 18 | Hosted by TBD
Match 5          Winner of Match 1 vs. Winner of Match 2                             

Match 6           Winner of Match 3 vs. Winner of Match 4     


Championship | Sunday, November 19 | Hosted by TBD
Match 7           Winner of Match 5 vs. Winner of Match 6