ST. CLOUD, Minn. – In its fifth straight match against a reigning NCAA Tournament team to begin the 2025 season, the Northern Michigan volleyball team fell in straight sets to No. 17 Barry University on Friday afternoon at the Husky Volleyball Invitational, 21-25, 15-25, 17-25.
In a rematch of the 1995 NCAA National Championship match (won by Barry, 3-1), the Buccaneers' height and depth posed consistent challenges for the Green and Gold. With five players matching or exceeding NMU's tallest, Barry's advantage at the net fueled a .386 team hitting percentage and a 7-1 edge in blocks. At 6-foot-3, Veronika Eremeeva led all players with 14 kills and four service aces.
For the Wildcats, Madison York paced the offense with 11 kills on an efficient .304 hitting clip, followed closely by Kaysie Bakke with nine kills. Setter Allie Barlow notched a double-double with 23 assists and 10 digs, while libero Liesl Haugen added eight digs. As a team, Northern finished with a .177 hitting percentage, four service aces, and 34 digs.
With the loss, the Wildcats dropped to 1-4 on the year, while Barry improved to 3-0 to remain unbeaten.
How It Happened
The match opened with a York kill as the teams traded points through the first rotations, deadlocked at 6-6. Bakke and York kept the Wildcat offense in rhythm with a series of kills to tie it again at 9-9. From there, Barry grabbed control, stringing together a 6-0 run highlighted by two service aces to surge ahead 15-9.
NMU answered with a tip kill from McKenzie Gruner and a service ace from Lauren Cardwell, but still trailed 19-13. A late push—sparked by three straight points from Bakke and three more off the left-handed swing of York—trimmed the deficit to 22-19. The rally fell short, however, as Barry closed out the frame 25-21, hitting .394 compared to NMU's .216. York led Northern with six kills in the set, while Bakke added four.
The Buccaneers carried that momentum into the second set, using an early 7-1 run to build an 8-3 lead. NMU responded with a five-point spurt in the middle of the frame, featuring kills from Gruner and Bakke, but Barry countered immediately with another extended run and pulled away. The Bucs secured the set 25-15 behind a .304 hitting percentage and five service aces, while Northern was limited to nine kills on .107 hitting.
Northern showed fight early in the third, leaning on the service line to apply pressure. Sydney Bartels opened with an ace, and Haugen added another during a 3-0 run that gave NMU a 7-6 edge. A Gruner kill at the net kept the Wildcats within one midway through, but Barry once again responded with its firepower. Two separate 5-0 runs pushed the Buccaneers comfortably in front, and they closed out the match 25-17 while hitting .481 in the final frame. York and Bakke each tallied three kills in the set as NMU finished with 11 kills on .194 hitting.
Up Next
The Wildcats return to action on Saturday with a doubleheader, taking on Adelphi at 10 a.m. ET before squaring off with No. 10 St. Cloud State at 3 p.m. ET.
