Northern Michigan University’s Meghan Meyer, top, reaches back while going for a kill during a GLIAC volleyball match played against Lake Superior State at Vandament Arena in Marquette on Saturday, Sept. 30, 2023. Standing near her is the Wildcats’ Lauren Van Remortel. (Photo courtesy Cara Kamps)

By Journal Sports Staff

MARQUETTE — The Northern Michigan University volleyball team split a pair of three-set sweeps on the road as the Wildcats continue their road trip in and around Grand Rapids this weekend.

NMU lost in three sets at Wayne State before pulling off a sweep at Saginaw Valley State as Northern is now 8-14 overall and 5-6 in the GLIAC.

The Wildcats are in sixth place in a tight pack in the middle of the 10-team conference standings, a game behind Davenport and Michigan Tech and a game ahead of Purdue Northwest and Wayne State.

This week’s road matches for NMU are at Grand Valley State at 5 p.m. Friday in Allendale, then at Davenport at 4 p.m. Saturday in Grand Rapids. GVSU is second in the GLIAC at 9-2 while Davenport is tied for fourth at 6-5.

After that, the Wildcats return to Vandament Arena in Marquette for a three-match stretch, also all conference matches, to complete their home schedule. The Marquette matches kick off with their Upper Peninsula rivalry duel against Michigan Tech at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Halloween night, that will also be Green Out and Pack the Gym nights. And that match is scheduled to be televised on WLUC-TV6 or Fox-U.P.

Here are details from last weekend’s matches:

Wayne State 3, NMU 0

On Friday in Detroit, the Warriors prevailed 25-21, 25-19, 25-12 as the Wildcats’ Liesl Haugen led all players with 18 digs.

Jacqueline Smith led the Northern attack with 10 kills as she added five digs, while Meghan Meyer made five kills and a team-high four blocks. NMU’s Caylie Barlage had a team-high two service aces to go with four digs, while Allie Barlow made 21 assists and had two blocks, and Rayne Thompson had three kills.

In the opening set, the closest of the match, the Wildcats had several early leads, including 14-13 at the end of a 5-1 run that included three Smith kills and one from Angelina Negron.

The teams alternated points for a long stretch before the Warriors ended the set by scoring the final three points on consecutive kills.

Northern started the second set strongly, too, with a three-point run putting the Wildcats up 6-4 on the strength of a Meyer kill and Julia Bouma ace.

WSU immediately answered with a 6-1 run to take the lead, but NMU fought back to go ahead 17-16 after a Barlow kill and Warriors attack error.

But the home team had another run in them, using a 7-1 streak to go ahead for good as the only points Northern got the rest of the set were on Wayne State errors.

Unlike the first two sets, the Warriors took control from the get-go in the third set, going up 7-1. But NMU used it own 6-1 streak to pull within 9-8. That surge included a pair of Barlage aces and kills from Meyer and Ania Hyatt.

The streakiness continued as Wayne State reeled off six points in a row to start a 13-2 string that all but ended things. NMU did get a Smith kill down the stretch that pulled the Wildcats within 20-10 at the time.

NMU 3, Saginaw Valley St. 0

On Saturday at University Center, the Wildcats took care of business against the league’s last-place team, winning 25-23, 25-10, 25-18.

NMU was able to hone its offense, scoring a season-high 15 aces and hitting a season-high .301.

Smith led the way with a dominant performance, making 17 kills as she added nine digs and four aces.

As she did the previous match, Haugen not only led the Northern defense, but again did it with 18 digs. Barlow had team highs of five aces and 38 assists while adding nine digs as Evynn Layshock added eight kills and a block and Meyer had six kills.

Bouma had three aces while McKenzie Gruner made a team-high four blocks.

The Cardinals jumped out of the gate, taking 4-1 and 8-4 leads before the Wildcats started clawing back. They caught SVSU at 15-15 in the midst of a three-point run that included a Smith kill and Bouma ace.

Neither team had a lead of more than a single point after that until Northern scored back-to-back points to end it when Layshock’s kill was followed by a Bouma ace.

The second set was a different story as NMU raced to a 5-0 start, led by two Smith kills and one from Thompson along with ace by Barlow.

Still leading 17-10, the Wildcats put the set out of reach by scoring the final eight points that included a pair of Layshock kills and two Smith aces.

The third set was tied 6-6 until NMU ripped off a 7-1 run to take control. That surge included three Barlage aces and kills by Thompson and Smith.

The Cardinals never got closer than four points the rest of the set and match, which ended on a Smith kill.

Information compiled by Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee. His email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.