MARQUETTE, Mich. – The Northern Michigan volleyball team fell in four sets, 25-18, 20-25, 21-25, and 20-25, to the Saginaw Valley State Cardinals on Saturday. Northern is now 5-7 overall and 2-2 in the conference.
The Wildcats were able to build a quick lead in the first set and cruise to a 1-0 lead, but the Cardinals got back in the match and went on to win with their effort at the net, recording a season-high 11 blocks.
Allie Barlow recorded 42 assists and surpassed 3,000 for her career, becoming just the eighth Wildcat all-time to reach the milestone.
Kaylie McIntosh paced the offense with 19 kills while
Anna O'Keefe added 14.
Saginaw Valley was led by Rachel Townsend with 14 kills while Ava Decker had 4.5 blocks.
How it Happened
Allie Barlow opened the match with an ace as NMU jumped out to a 5-1 lead, forcing an early SVSU timeout.
Laynie Russell continued the strong start with three kills and a block as the Wildcats built an 11-6 advantage.
Northern continued to apply pressure throughout the opening set, stretching its lead to 20-11.
Kaylie McIntosh then put down the set-clinching kill as NMU took the opener 25-16. The Wildcats hit .321 as a team in the first set, recording 12 kills while holding the Cardinals to a .000 attack percentage and just six kills.
The second set featured a back-and-forth battle early before SVSU found some momentum with five straight points to take an 11-7 lead. NMU responded with a 5-1 run of its own, pulling even at 13-13 midway through the set. The Cardinals regained control late, using back-to-back blocks to take a 20-17 lead and force an NMU timeout. SVSU closed out the set 25-20 to even the match at 1-1, outhitting the Wildcats .257 to .045 in the frame.
Anna O'Keefe and
Grace Allen each recorded two kills early in the third as the Wildcats and Cardinals traded points through the opening stages. The teams were tied at every point through 8-8 before SVSU created the first multi-point advantage of the set at 10-8.
McIntosh became the first Wildcat to reach double-digit kills in the match as the teams remained within striking distance of one another midway through the set. SVSU then began to pull away with a 5-1 run, taking a 19-14 lead. Northern responded with four straight points to force an SVSU timeout, cutting the deficit to 19-18. O'Keefe followed with a kill to tie the set, but the Cardinals answered with three consecutive points to regain a 22-19 advantage and held on to win the set 25-21, taking a 2-1 lead in the match.
The fourth set remained tight early, with the teams trading points and staying tied through 5-5. The Cardinals eventually created separation with four straight points, taking a 14-10 lead as they looked to close out the match.
SVSU continued to find success at the net, with its blocks beginning to pile up to lead 19-13. The Wildcats answered with four straight points to cut the deficit to 19-17, but Saginaw responded with three consecutive points to move ahead 22-17 and force an NMU timeout.
The Cardinals closed out the match with a 25-20 fourth-set victory, taking the four-set win and handing the Wildcats a tough conference defeat.
Up Next
The Wildcats will be back home on Tuesday, September 22, taking on the Michigan Tech Huskies at 6 p.m.
