MARQUETTE, Mich. - Coming off of a long weekend of volleyball in Marquette where the NMU Volleyball team hosted the UP Open Tournament to start the season, the 'Cats will now hit the road and head to the land of 10,000 lakes for the Up North Tournament this weekend, hosted by Minnesota Duluth. 

The Up North tournament page featuring participants, schedule, rosters, and more can be found here. 

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

Thursday, September 7 - vs. St. Cloud State at 6 p.m. ET
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Friday, September 8 - vs. Central Washington at 1 p.m. ET
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Friday, September 8 - vs. Southern New Hampshire at 6 p.m. ET
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Saturday, September 9 - at Minnesota Duluth at 3:30 p.m. ET
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A Word from Coach Lozier
"This first weekend, I learned that we got to be better at serve-receive, defense, and blocking. We talk about being young, we're going to have freshmen on the floor and responsible for helping us find success. We're looking forward to this weekend in an opportunity to be better and perform better."

Mike Lozier Press Conference


Cat Nips

• Senior setter Lauren Van Remortel was named to the UP Open All-Tournament team after recording 131 assists throughout the team's first four matches
• Sophomore outside hitter Rayne Thompson recorded 20 kills in the four-set match against Northwood, tying a career-high
• Freshmen have contributed early for the 'Cats, with Remi Madison notching nine kills in her first career game, Sydney Bartels recording six kills in one set, and Liesl Haugen turning in 10 digs in her second career match
• The Wildcats return two All-GLIAC First Teamers from a season ago in redshirt juniors Jacqueline Smith (AVCA All-America Honorable Mention) and Meghan Meyer. Setter Lauren Van Remortel is also back for a fifth season after Second Team All-GLIAC recognition a season ago.
• Mike Lozier has brought in his biggest freshmen class throughout his tenure with the Wildcats. The eight new faces include Outside Hitters Remi Madison, Helen Beiring, Kaysie Bakke, and Sydney Bartels; Setter Allie Barlow; Defensive Specialists Lauren Cardwell and Liesl Haugen; and Middle Blocker Emilia Gulock.

A Recap of Last Weekend
The Wildcats started the season with a win against Minnesota Crookston, but then fell in three straight matches against Concordia-St. Paul, Hillsdale, and Northwood. NMU defeated Crookston 3-1, was swept 3-0 to both CSP and Hillsdale, and fell in four sets to Northwood in the UP Open finale. 

Jacqueline Smith notched 20 kills in the opener before being sidelined with an injury. Rayne Thompson tied a career-high with 20 kills against Northwood and Meghan Meyer added another 15 in the match. The two lead the Green and Gold with 36 kills apiece this season. 


More Tests Ahead
A weekend after facing two NCAA Tournament teams from a season ago in No. 2 Concordia-St. Paul and Hillsdale, this coming week will not get any easier for the Wildcats. NMU will face three nationally ranked opponents (St. Cloud State - No. 5, Minnesota Duluth - No. 7, Central Washington, No. 23). The fourth match will be against Southern New Hampshire, who has started the season 4-0 and has yet to drop a set all year. 

St. Cloud State, Minnesota Duluth, and Southern New Hampshire all enter the Up North Tournament with an unblemished 4-0 record. Central Washington comes in at 2-2, but all four opponents they have faced this far were nationally ranked. 

 
Match on the Mack
The Wildcats took part in the Match on the Mack on August 19, an exhibition contest against Division I Central Michigan on Mackinac Island. The 'Cats played with energy and hung tough, but fell in three sets against the Chippewas (22-25, 20-25, 15-25). 

The Wildcats jumped out to an early five-point lead to start the first set, controlling all the momentum in the gym. The Chippewas would eventually tie up the set before scoring four straight points late in the set, putting it out of reach. The second set was an inverse of the first, with the Chippewas jumping out to an early lead and the Wildcats clawing back to tie it up, but another late-set run for the Chippewas put it away once again. Set three saw the Chippewas step on the gas and not look back, as the extra week of practice and conditioning paid dividends for the Maroon and Gold. 

Jacqueline Smith paced the 'Cats with 11 kills while Lauren Van Remortel had 19 assists and Caylie Barlage recorded eight digs. Krystina Kasson and Abby Olin combined for 19 kills for CMU. 


New Faces on the Sideline
Fans will also see two new faces patrolling the sideline for the Wildcats this season as seventh-year head coach Mike Lozier has brought in two new assistants. Sarah Kuehn, after playing for the 'Cats from 2017-19 and coaching voluntarily in 2020-21, is back as a full-time assistant coach. Kamryn Duffield has also been added to the staff as an assistant coach after a stellar playing career at Wayne State. 


2023 GLIAC Volleyball Preseason Poll
1    Ferris State - 79 (7)
2    Grand Valley State - 70 (1)
3    Northern Michigan - 67 (2)
4    Michigan Tech - 53
5    Wayne State - 51
6    Davenport - 44
7    Saginaw Valley State - 34
8    Lake Superior State - 24
9    Parkside - 18
10  Purdue Northwest - 10


A Season Ago
In 2022, the Wildcats returned to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2010. NMU finished 23-9 and lost to No.1 Midwest seed Quincy in the big dance. The Wildcats started off last season red-hot, picking up 13 wins in its first 15 matches including a nine-game win streak that aided the 'Cats to earning the No. 2 seed in the GLIAC Tournament, where they lost to Grand Valley State in the quarterfinals.