MARQUETTE, Mich. – The Northern Michigan volleyball team is back on the road this weekend, traveling to St. Cloud, Minnesota, for the Huskies Volleyball Classic. The Wildcats will face three opponents on Thursday, Sept. 11, and Friday, Sept. 12, before closing the trip with a Saturday matchup at Minnesota Duluth.

It will be another challenging stretch for the Green and Gold, as three of their four opponents are either ranked or receiving votes in the latest American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) poll.

Northern opens play Thursday at 4 p.m. against No. 17 Barry (Miami Shores, Fla.). Friday's doubleheader begins with a first-time meeting against Adelphi (Garden City, N.Y.) at 10 a.m., followed by a showdown with host and No. 10 St. Cloud State at 3 p.m. The Wildcats then visit Minnesota Duluth on Saturday for a 1 p.m. match against the Bulldogs.


Follow the Action
Stay connected with @NMU_Wildcats and @NMU_Volleyball on Instagram and X (formerly Twitter) for updates throughout the weekend.

Thursday, Sept. 11 – vs. No. 17 Barry (St. Cloud, Minn.) – 4 p.m. ET
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Friday, Sept. 12 – vs. Adelphi (St. Cloud, Minn.) – 10 a.m. ET
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Friday, Sept. 12 – at No. 10 St. Cloud State – 3 p.m. ET
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Saturday, Sept. 13 – at RV Minnesota Duluth – 1 p.m. ET
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From the Coach
"We're going into this tournament giving it our best effort on Thursday, and we'll reassess from there," said head coach Mike Lozier. "I hope that we've learned from this past weekend and can build on it."


About the Wildcats
Northern opened the season last weekend at the SpringHill Suites Invitational in Florida, finishing 1-3. The Wildcats defeated Wheeling 3-1 before falling to Spring Hill (1-3), Southwest Minnesota State (0-3), and West Florida (0-3).

In the opener, NMU hit .270 with 60 kills. Kaysie Bakke paced the attack with 17 kills on a .400 hitting percentage. McKenzie Gruner added 15 kills while hitting .500, Sydney Bartels tallied 13 kills at .344, and Emilia Gulock chipped in eight kills at .316. All four hitters posted at least eight kills while swinging above .300 – a rare offensive feat.

Junior setter Allie Barlow directed the offense with 55 assists, the second-highest total of her career. She tallied 139 assists over the weekend, ranking 21st nationally.

Senior middle blocker McKenzie Gruner earned a spot on the All-Tournament Team after leading NMU with 38 kills, a .330 hitting percentage, and 11 blocks.

Two-time All-GLIAC Honorable Mention libero Liesl Haugen led the team defensively with 62 digs and added seven service aces.

Through four matches, NMU is hitting .154 as a team, averaging 11.9 kills, 11.4 assists, and 15.4 digs per set.


Scouting the Opponents
No. 17 Barry University
Barry opened the season with back-to-back sweeps over Malone and D'Youville. The Buccaneers were picked third in the Sunshine State Conference after a 24-5 season that ended in the NCAA Tournament Round of 32. The Bucs currently rank second nationally in hitting percentage (.444) and third in aces per set (3.67). Sophomore outside hitter Veronika Eremeeva leads the offense with 21 kills and six aces after a strong freshman campaign (291 kills, 49 aces).

Adelphi University
The Panthers sit at 1-3 to start the year, highlighted by a five-set battle with No. 19 Gannon and a four-set match against defending national champion Lynn. Adelphi's lone win came over Belmont Abbey (3-1). Senior outside hitter Macarty McQueen was named Northeast-10 Player of the Week after averaging 4.69 kills per set, including a program-record 29 kills in a five-set loss to Post.

No. 10 St. Cloud State
The Huskies began their season 2-2, defeating No. 4 San Francisco State (3-0) and RV Central Washington (3-2), while dropping matches to RV Simon Fraser (0-3) and Western Washington (1-3). Picked to win the NSIC and ranked No. 3 nationally in the preseason, St. Cloud is led by outside hitter Ella Thompson, who has 41 kills through four matches. Last year, NMU edged the Huskies in a five-set thriller.

RV Minnesota Duluth
The Bulldogs opened 4-0 with two sweeps. Setter Ava Jones was named NSIC Setter of the Week after averaging 12.86 assists per set and totaling 180 assists, nine aces, and 23 digs. UMD boasts a balanced attack with four players (Broten, Guetzkow, Tims, and Decker) each recording 35+ kills. The Bulldogs defeated NMU in four sets last season.