MARQUETTE, Mich. - Looking to get back to the GLIAC Championship for the first time since 2021, the Northern Michigan volleyball team will match up with Grand Valley State in the GLIAC Tournament Semifinals on Saturday, November 23 at 2:30 p.m.
The match will take place in Big Rapids, Michigan at Ferris State, the No. 1 seed and host for the weekend's Semifinals and Championship. The Bulldogs will face Michigan Tech in the first Semifinal on Saturday at noon.
In what feels like a regular occurrence, the Wildcats and Lakers will meet in the Semifinal round for the third time in the past five seasons. NMU bested GVSU in four sets back in 2021 while the Lakers won the most recent match, a five-setter in 2022, also played in Big Rapids.
Northern fell to Grand Valley in the lone meeting this season, a 3-0 sweep for GVSU in Allendale on October 25.
The match can be listened to on 94.1 The Breeze. Brice Burge will be on the call.
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Follow @NMU_Wildcats and @NMU_Volleyball on Instagram and X (formerly known as Twitter) for updates leading up to and during the matches.
Saturday, November 23 - vs. Grand Valley State (Big Rapids, MI) at 2:30 p.m.
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About the 'Cats
The Wildcats are hot at the right time, winning 12 of its past 13 sets. NMU defeated Parkside in four sets (25-16, 25-15, 25-20, 25-15) on Wednesday.
Jacqueline Smith led the way offensively for Northern with 20 kills, her seventh time hitting that mark this season.
Meghan Meyer followed with 15 on a .536 hitting percentage. Northern led in kills 60-39 and marked a .275 hitting percentage as a team.
Allie Barlow dished out 50 assists while
Caylie Barlage was stout defensively with 24 digs.
NMU is hitting .231 on the season. The team's 1,386 kills are the most in the GLIAC this season while its 205 service aces, 1,253 assists, and 1,732 digs all rank second.
Announced Friday by the conference, Smith took home All-GLIAC First Team honors, Meyer and Barlow earned Second Team recognition, and
Liesl Haugen was named an Honorable Mention.
In her fifth collegiate season, Smith has now earned All-GLIAC First Team honors each and every year. She paces all conference players this season with 436 kills overall (a top-20 mark nationally) She has 20+ kills in seven matches and has reached double figures in 25/27. Smith recorded a career-high 28 kills against rival Michigan Tech on October 30, as well as a career-high 19 digs during the match. She is 4th among all of Division II active players in career kills with 1,907. On October 5th vs. Lake Superior State, she broke the program's all-time kills record, surpassing the previous mark of 1,664 by Andrea Gommans that stood since 1993. She also reached 1,000 career digs earlier this season, becoming the 18th player in NMU history to hit the milestone.
Earning All-GLIAC honors for the fifth time was
Meghan Meyer. She hit her 1,000th career kill earlier this season in a match against Michigan Tech and has 1,056 for her career. Her .353 hitting percentage this season is 5th best in the conference. One of the most efficient middle blockers in the conference, Meyer has 14 matches this season with 6+ kills and a hitting percentage of over .300.
Also named to the All-GLIAC Second Team, sophomore setter
Allie Barlow leads all GLIAC setters with 1,129 assists, a mark that sits inside the top-15 nationally. The Cedar Rapids, Iowa native has also notched 94 kills, 44 service aces, 243 digs, and nine blocks. She set a career-high on October 30 with 62 assists in a five-set win over Michigan Tech, a tally that stands at 16th across Division II.
Sophomore libero
Liesl Haugen was named an All-GLIAC Honorable Mention for the second consecutive season. Her 429 digs are the third most in the GLIAC this season. She recorded a career-high 31 digs in NMU's five-set win at Michigan Tech on October 30. Haugen is second in the team with 434 receptions on a 93.3% success rate.
Notes on Grand Valley State
The Lakers enter the Semifinals with an overall record of 26-2, only falling to undefeated Ferris State twice (3-1 and 3-0).
Grand Valley is as stout as they come at the net, as its 2.79 blocks per set ranks 3rd nationally while holding opponents to a .118 hitting percentage, the 7th best mark in the country. Offensively, GVSU is hitting .251 with 13.3 kills per set and 12.35 assists per set.
Julia Blaney and Jordyn Gates were recently selected to the All-GLIAC First Team. A senior libero, Blaney's 476 digs rank 2nd in the conference while she's also added 26 aces. Gates, a senior outside hitter, leads the team with 239 kills and has added 261 digs.
Brianna Stawski (1.27), Paige Sanders (1.26), and Kennedy Arp (1.11) rank 1-3 in the league in blocks per set. Sanders was named to the All-GLIAC Second Team while Stawski was named an Honorable Mention. Meghan O'Sullivan was also named to the Second Team with 208 kills, 39 aces, and 76 total blocks.
GLIAC Tournament
Quarterfinals | Wednesday, November 20 | Hosted by higher seed (campus sites)
Match 1 No. 1 Ferris State defeats No. 8 Purdue Northwest, 3-0
Match 2 No. 5 Michigan Tech defeats No. 4 Wayne State, 3-1
Match 3 No. 3 Northern Michigan defeats No. 6 Parkside, 3-1
Match 4 No. 2 Grand Valley State defeats No. 7 Davenport, 3-0
Semifinals | Saturday, November 23 | Hosted by Ferris State
Match 5 No. 1 Ferris State vs. No. 5 Michigan Tech, 12 p.m.
Match 6 No. 2 Grand Valley State vs. No. 3 Northern Michigan, 2:30 p.m.
Championship | Sunday, November 24 | Hosted Ferris State
Match 7 Winner of Match 5 vs. Winner of Match 6
