MARQUETTE, Mich. - It will be a busy Halloween week for the Northern Michigan volleyball team, as the Wildcats will head to Michigan Tech on Wednesday, October 30 at 6 p.m. and then return to Marquette to host Purdue Northwest on November 1 at 4 p.m. followed by the home regular season finale against Parkside on Saturday, November 2 at 4 p.m.
After a pair of losses last weekend downstate, the Green and Gold will look to get back on track as they continue to battle for the right to host a postseason quarterfinal match at Vandament Arena.
NMU (13-7, 7-3) is tied for third in the conference, with Michigan Tech (11-9, 5-5), Purdue Northwest (8-12, 4-6), and Parkside (9-11, 5-5) all in the thick of the fight for postseason positioning.
Wednesday's match with Michigan Tech will be televised locally on FOX-UP and GRIT TV, with Mark Evans and Dave Ellis on the call.
Follow the Action
Follow @NMU_Wildcats and @NMU_Volleyball on Instagram and X (formerly known as Twitter) for updates leading up to and during the matches.
Wednesday, October 30 - at Michigan Tech at 6 p.m.
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Friday, November 1 - vs. Purdue Northwest at 4 p.m.
- Green Athletics Zero Waste Game
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Saturday, November 2 - vs. Parkside at 4 p.m.
- Senior Day/Veteran's Day
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Honoring the Senior Class
The program will honor five seniors at Saturday's match vs. Parkside:
Caylie Barlage,
Julia Bouma,
Meghan Meyer,
Jacqueline Smith, and
Olivia Webber.
To date, the quintet has accounted for 477 matches played, 1,657 sets, 2,989 kills, 2,640 digs, 442 aces, and 442 blocks over their NMU tenures.
A Word from Mike Lozier
"Michigan Tech will be ready to go and they've had our number historically in that building. Once we get on the bus, it's making sure we have a good meal and prepare our body for competition and then do the proper preparation once we get on the court."
Cat Nips
- Northern defeated Michigan Tech 3-1 earlier this season in Marquette and bested Purdue Northwest in five sets and Parkside in three sets on the road back in September.
- This will be the 12th matchup against the Huskies for both Jacqueline Smith and Meghan Meyer. Over their 11 career meetings, Smith is averaging 13.2 kills/match while Meyer is averaging 7.1 kills/match, including an average of 10 over her last four.
- Allie Barlow paces conference setters with 796 assists this season, a top-35 mark nationally. She also surpassed 1,000 career assists two weekends ago. She was named the GLIAC Setter of the Week on October 21 after recording a career-best 52 assists in a five-set thriller with Findlay and following it up with 48 more a few hours later in a four-set triumph of UIndy for an even 100 on the day. She added 31 more against Rockhurst for a weekend total of 131. Additionally, she added 14 kills, five aces, 23 digs, and a block over the three matches.
- On October 5th vs. Lake Superior State, Smith broke the program's all-time kills record, surpassing the previous mark of 1,664 by Andrea Gommans that stood since 1993. She is second in the league this season with 294 kills.
- Smith also reached 1,000 career digs earlier this season, becoming the 18th player in NMU history to hit the milestone.
- Caylie Barlage will look to become the 19th Wildcat to hit that mark as she currently sits at 988.
- Meghan Meyer will look to hit the 1,000 career kills milestone as she sits at 993 entering the weekend. Meyer holds a .341 hitting percentage this season, which is 7th in the league. McKenzie Gruner follows in 8th at .333.
- Libero Liesl Haugen ranks 4th in the GLIAC with 306 digs this season.
Notes on the Opponents
Michigan Tech
Last weekend, the Huskies fell to Wayne State in straight sets and also dropped a four-set decision to Grand Valley State. Overall, the Huskies are 11-9 through 20 matches with an even 5-5 conference showing.
Junior Meg Raabe has notched 261 kills this season, a mark good for 8th in the GLIAC. Rachel Zurek (193), Kaycee Meiners (133), Page Wagner (130), and Jacqueline Yancy (125) have all added over 100 kills this season. Wagner's .355 hitting percentage is 5th in the GLIAC. Setter Tess Hayes leads the conference averaging 10.4 assists/set while her 749 total assists and 36 service aces rank second.
Collectively, the Huskies are hitting .238 while their opponents hit .211.
Purdue Northwest
The Pride have won three straight, most recently besting Saginaw Valley State in five sets and sweeping Lake Superior State on the road. PNW is 8-12 overall and 4-6 in conference play.
The Pride attack is led by junior Arra Cottrell whose 271 kills rank 6th in the GLIAC. Marina Gronkiewicz (177), Anika Huelskamp (159), and Kennedy Rowzee (130) have also played a big role offensively. The Pride can attack from multiple spots, as Olivia Brooke (417 assists) and Gronkiewicz (313) can both play the role of setter.
Purdue Northwest is hitting .206 while opponents are nearly similar at .209.
Parkside
The Rangers are coming off of a 2-0 weekend in which they took down Lake Superior State in straight sets and Saginaw Valley State in five. Parkside is 9-12 overall and 5-5 in league play.
The offense is led by 288 kills from sophomore Sam Fisch, while Elizabeth Truckenbrod (169) and Ava Irvin (127) also present a threat on the attack. Marisa Lootens has had the most lethal serve across the league this season with 42 aces while the 394 digs from Natalie Harris also paces the league in digs.
The Rangers are hitting .187 while their opponents are at .205.
