GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Northern Michigan volleyball team opened Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) play on Friday evening, falling to the Davenport Panthers in straight sets: 22-25, 13-25, and 23-25.

The Wildcats recorded 29 kills with a .151 hitting percentage, while the Panthers managed 42 kills on a .202 attack clip. Kaysie Bakke and Kaylie McIntosh co-led the 'Cats with eight kills each, while DU's Abby Alan led all players with 14 kills.

Davenport registered nine aces in the match, including six from Hayley Carr. Northern Michigan tallied three aces, with Bakke contributing two.

With the loss, NMU falls to 1-8 on the season, while the Panthers improve to 4-4.

How It Happened
The opening 10 points were evenly contested, but Davenport then produced the first extended run, scoring five straight to take a 10-4 lead. NMU closed its deficit to three with kills from McIntosh and Bakke. A 3-0 run, capped by back-to-back kills from Gruner, cut the gap to one at 17-16, but the Panthers responded with three straight points. Northern answered with another 3-0 run to make it 23-22, before Davenport closed the set with two final kills, hitting .233 to NMU's .194. NMU had three kills apiece from Gruner, Bakke, York, and McIntosh.

A 5-1 run for the 'Cats early in the second set gave them their first multi-point lead of the night at 8-6. Still ahead 11-8, the Panthers went on a massive 12-0 run, including five aces from Hayley Carr, to take a 20-11 lead. Davenport would finish off the set 25-13, taking a 2-0 match lead.

A York kill sparked the third set, giving the Green and Gold a strong start with a 7-0 lead. During the run, Emilia Gulock dominated at the net, contributing to three straight points. The hot hand then shifted to McIntosh, who added three kills to extend Northern's advantage to 11-2, prompting Davenport to call its final timeout of the set.

NMU maintained a sizable lead in the third until Davenport scored four unanswered points to make it 15-10, forcing a Wildcat timeout. The Panthers kept the pressure on after the stoppage, scoring five of the next six points to make it 16-15.

Davenport grabbed its first lead of the third set at 18-17. Back-to-back kills from Bakke fueled a timely 3-0 run, giving Northern a 23-22 edge. The Panthers responded with three straight points to close out the match, 25-23.

Up Next
The Wildcats will travel to No. 12 Ferris State on Saturday, with first serve scheduled for noon.