MANKATO, Minn. -  The NMU volleyball team displayed an all-around team effort in the season-opener on Friday morning, coming out victorious with a three-set sweep over Minnesota State Moorhead at the Maverick Invite, with scores of 26-24, 25-21, and 25-15. 

Senior Jacqueline Smith led the 'Cats with 14 kills, with a remarkable 10 coming in the second set. Four other Wildcats notched 6+ kills: Megan Meyer (7), Kaysie Bakke (7), McKenzie Gruner (6), and Helen Beiring (6). It was a career-high for both Bakke and Beiring, as the sophomore tandem made their mark opposite Smith.

This game was a great start to the season and really set the tone," said Smith following the match. "It was so fun being able to compete as one team and see the carry over from our preseason."

Other key contributions to Northern's success came from another sophomore in Allie Barlow, as she delivered 34 assists in the match. It was the second-best mark of her career in a three-set affair. 

The Wildcats defensive end also showed up on the court with 55 digs. Sophomore libero Liesl Haugen displayed great defensive efforts recording 18 digs, as did Caylie Barlage, recovering 13 digs of her own. 


Set One
Play opened right away with a kill and ace from Smith to get the 'Cats on the right foot from the start.

The aces kept coming, as Haugen delivered three of her own, accompanied by a kill from Meyer, to quickly lead 7-1 and trigger an MSUM timeout.  

Moorhead hung around and rattled off four straight late in the set to tie the score at 24-24, but Bakke and Smith delivered the final blow to narrowly secure the first set, 26-24. 

Set Two
The Wildcats opened set two on the defense after three quick points from Moorhead gave them a 4-1 edge early on. The tides quickly shifted back to Northern after attack errors and a hot hand from Smith, as she pinpointed three kills in a four-point stretch to regain the lead, 9-7.

After closing Moorhead's early lead, the Dragons began to push ahead once more only to be met with pushback from the Wildcat offense. NMU recorded three consecutive kills from Bakke, Smith, and Meyer, setting the score at 18-15 in favor of the Wildcats. 

NMU continued to push forward, collecting kills and creating opportunities. Gruner added another kill to lead 21-16.

Beiring was the one to finish off the 25-21 set two win. It was an ultra impressive set from Smith, as she reached the near unheard-of mark of 10 kills in a single set.

Set Three
Northern gained the first point of the match off of a service error from Moorhead, but the early stages of the third saw a sequence of back-and-forth to keep the score close. 

NMU went on a scoring run with kills from Meyer, Bakke, Barlow, and  Smith, as the 'Cats put together a 6-1 run and an extended 12-3 run to lead 15-7.

Moorhead attempted to respond, but NMU's attack was too much to handle as Northern cruised to the finish. A pair of aces from Barlow sealed the set, 25-15, and match victory. 


Up Next
The Wildcats will return to the court later today, facing off with Truman State at 5 p.m. ET. Truman lost on Thursday 3-1 to Parkside and will face host Minnesota State at noon before their bout with the 'Cats.