MARQUETTE, Mich. – After a thrilling five-set victory over Michigan Tech on Tuesday, the Northern Michigan volleyball team will hit the road for one match this weekend, taking on the Grand Valley State Lakers on Saturday, September 26, at 3 p.m.

The Wildcats picked up an important win over the Huskies to move to 3-2 in the conference earlier this week. Now with just one match this weekend, NMU will focus on Grand Valley State, who are a perfect 4-0 in the GLIAC. 

It will be the first of seven road contests over the next eight for the Wildcats, with five conference matches before the three-match Midwest Crossover. 


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Last Time Out
Northern earned its fourth straight five-set victory over rival Michigan Tech on Tuesday, rallying for a 25-18, 22-25, 25-21, 22-25, 15-10 triumph in front of nearly 1,000 fans at Vandament Arena. 

Sophomore Kaylie McIntosh led the way with a career-high 28 kills on a .321 attack percentage, while Allie Barlow recorded 61 assists. Anna O'Keefe added 14 kills, Laynie Russell had 12, and Olivia Ziemer contributed eight. Defensively, Liesl Haugen posted a team-high 16 digs to become just the fourth Wildcat in program history with 1,500 career digs. 

As a team, NMU recorded 70 kills and hit .241, its second-best attack percentage of the season. With the win, the Wildcats improved to 6-7 overall and 3-2 in GLIAC play.


About the Wildcats
Coming off her 28-kill performance, McIntosh leads the team with 169 kills this season, fifth most across the conference. Her 4.06 kills/set in conference play is first in the GLIAC. Freshman Anna O'Keefe follows with 133, including a 20-kill debut against Winona State. Freshman Laynie Russell has 106 and has 9+ kills in eight of her past nine. Yet another freshman, Olivia Ziemer, has 42 kills over the past six.

Northern Michigan returns 14 of the 19 players from last season's team, including All-GLIAC Second Team selections Allie Barlow and Liesl Haugen.

Barlow, a senior setter from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, recorded 525 assists this season and her 10.29 assists per set is second in the GLIAC. She is coming off a standout junior season in which she recorded 1,088 assists and averaged 10.06 assists per set, with both marks ranking second in the GLIAC. She recently surpassed 3,000 career assists and ranks eighth in program history. 

Haugen, a senior libero from Maple Grove, Minnesota, has 205 digs this season. She surpassed 1,500 career assists last time out and ranks fourth in program history. She anchors a veteran defensive unit after one of the conference's top defensive seasons in 2025. A three-time GLIAC Defensive Player of the Week, Haugen recorded at least 20 digs in 12 of 24 matches and finished second in the GLIAC with 4.98 digs per set while ranking seventh with 0.40 aces per set.

In 2025, NMU finished third in the GLIAC standings in with a 12-4 conference record. Northern was picked fourth in the 2026 GLIAC Preseason Coaches Poll heading into this season, behind preseason favorites Ferris State, Grand Valley State, and Wayne State.

Northern lost five players from last year's roster, including All-GLIAC First Team selection McKenzie Gruner. The Wildcats will look to fill those roles with a combination of returning players stepping into larger roles and five newcomers, including four freshmen and transfer Cece Huizingh.

Head coach Mike Lozier is in his 10th season at the helm in 2026. 


A Quick Look at Grand Valley State
The Lakers are ranked No. 16 in the AVCA Poll with a 10-2 overall record. GVSU will host Davenport on Friday before matching up with the Wildcats on Saturday. 

Grand Valley leads the conference in opponent attack percentage (.135), fewest opponent assists per set (8.73), fewest opponent kills per set (9.64), and fewest opponent digs per set (12.27). Their .309 hitting percentage is second in the conference and fifth nationally. 

Finley Arp (125 kills) and Brianna Stawski (107) have each surpassed 100 kills, followed closely by Paige Sanders with 98 kills and a team-best .422 attack percentage. 

The teams only met once last season, with the Wildcats taking a five-set nail-biter. McIntosh led NMU with 15 kills in the match.