MARQUETTE, Mich. - After two tournaments and its first eight matches on the road, the Northern Michigan volleyball team will remain on the road this weekend, beginning Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) play on Friday, September 19, and Saturday, September 20.
The Wildcats will first stop in Grand Rapids, Michigan to take on the Davenport Panthers on Friday at 5 p.m. Northern will then travel back up the Lower Peninsula to Big Rapids to play No. 12 Ferris State on Saturday at noon.
Follow the Action
Stay connected with @NMU_Wildcats and @NMU_Volleyball on Instagram and X (formerly Twitter) for updates throughout the weekend.
Friday, Sept. 19 – at Davenport – 5 p.m. ET
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Live Stats
Saturday, Sept. 20 – at No. 12 Ferris State – 12 p.m. ET
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Live Stats
From the Coach
"There is a lot to learn and a lot to grow from. I hope Saturday was slowly coming out of it, and we are ready to go this weekend."
About the Wildcats
Playing in two tournaments against some of the best teams in the country, Northern has started the season at 1-7. NMU was victorious in the first match of the season over Wheeling, but now Northern is looking to get back on track, having dropped each of its last 20 sets.
The Wildcats are hitting .154, averaging 11.5 kills, 11.0 assists, and 15.2 digs per set. Senior middle blocker
McKenzie Gruner is leading the group with 69 kills and 23 blocks. Not far behind her is lefty
Madison York, totaling 56 kills and 14 blocks.
When on, the Wildcats present a balanced attack. Six 'Cats have recorded at least 10 kills in a match so far this season. Freshman
Kaylie McIntosh is coming off a 15-kill effort against Minnesota Duluth, while Gruner, York,
Kaysie Bakke,
Sydney Bartels, and
Emilia Gulock have also had moments this season with over 10 kills.
Defensively,
Allie Barlow (72),
Lauren Cardwell (72), and
Liesl Haugen (70) have all been over the floor with 70+ digs apiece.
Scouting the Opponents
Davenport Panthers
Davenport enters GLIAC play at 3-4. They are most recently coming off a 3-1 defeat to No. 16 Gannon. The Panthers are averaging 12.9 kills per set on a .194 attack percentage. Offensively, Abby Alan leads the way with 91 kills (3.5 kills per set). Setter Madison Berry paces all GLIAC players with 10.52 assists per set (284 total). Defensively, DU has three players with at least 20 blocks. Morgan Tydings' 1.38 blocks per set leads everyone in the conference.
No. 12 Ferris State Bulldogs
Ranked 12th in the AVCA poll, the Bulldogs are 5-3 with four sweeps to their credit. The group's 17.42 digs per set is tops in the GLIAC and just outside the top-30 nationally. On the attack, the Bulldogs are hitting .206 with 13.5 kills per set. They are led by Gabby Piazza, whose 110 kills and 4.23 kills per set rank first in the conference. FSU had a historic run last year, going 17-0 in the GLIAC and starting 34-0 before falling to Bentley 3-1 in the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight.
