Northern Michigan University’s Jacqueline Smith, right, prepares to try to block a Wisconsin-Parkside kill attempt in the second set of their GLIAC Tournament quarterfinal match played at Vandament Arena in Marquette on Wednesday. (Journal photo by Caden Sierra)

BIG RAPIDS — The season ended agonizingly close to going on for a lot longer for the Northern Michigan University volleyball team on Saturday afternoon.

The GLIAC Tournament No. 3 seeded Wildcats lost a five-set thriller to No. 2 Grand Valley State in the event’s semifinals. The Lakers prevailed 25-21, 24-26, 20-25, 25-16, 16-14, to advance to Sunday’s GLIAC tourney championship match against No. 1 Ferris State.

Ferris, playing on its home court for the semifinals and finals as the highest seed remaining at that point of the tourney, whipped through GVSU in the finals, 25-18, 25-17, 25-11, to earn the league’s automatic berth into the NCAA Division II Tournament. Ferris is not only undefeated but is also the No. 1 team in the nation.

Grand Valley, ranked No. 11 nationally, also might be able to earn an NCAA berth, but NMU isn’t expected to.

On Saturday, Northern its season finished with a 20-9 record and had an excellent chance of advancing further in the tournament after taking a two-sets-to-one advantage.

While the Lakers fought back to even it 2-2, the Wildcats took a 13-11 lead in the fifth set before Grand Valley scored five of the final six points to end the match.

Five-time All-GLIAC honoree Jacqueline Smith of NMU led all players with 20 kills while she added 16 digs, and another Northern five-time All-GLIAC player, Meghan Meyer, contributed 15 kills while notching a .500 hitting percentage and adding in three blocks.

Teammate McKenzie Gruner had eight kills and three blocks, while Liesl Haugen led the NMU defense with 21 digs. Kaysie Bakke also made three blocks, while Lauren Cardwell had two service aces and Allie Barlow 46 assists and 17 digs.

For the most part, statistics were as close as the match, with GVSU holding the edge in kills, 67-61, assists 56-51 and digs 94-92. While the teams were even with three aces apiece, the Lakers did hold a 13-7 edge in blocks.

After numerous early ties to open the match, Grand Valley took a 13-10 lead before back-to-back-to-back NMU points tied it once again, 13-13. That streak included a Gruner kill and two GVSU attack errors.

Neither team had a lead of more than three points throughout the set until the Lakers scored the final two points to end it.

Set 2 started almost identically with numerous early ties before the Lakers built a small — never more than three-point — lead for a long streak.

After Northern evened it 19-19 on a Bakke kill, GVSU re-established a 22-19 edge. Then NMU scored six of the final seven points of the set to win it. That burst included three kills by Meyer, one by Smith and a set-ending attack error by the Lakers.

Then the Wildcats led wire to wire in the third set, going up 3-0, 8-3 and 13-7. Northern played even after that to keep a 21-14 lead, then got to set point at 24-18 on a Smith kill. While Grand Valley saved two of those points, Bakke ended the set with a kill.

Facing elimination, the Lakers jumped out to a 7-1 lead in the fourth set. Soon after, NMU got within 9-7 after kills by Smith, Gruner, Meyer and Madison York.

Grand Valley used a 10-2 streak to rebuild a 19-9 advantage, and while the Wildcats immediately responded with a 6-1 spurt, the Lakers were still able to finish off the set. Northern’s last spurt included kills from Meyer, Smith and Barlow.

In the fifth-set race to 15 points, the teams traded the lead multiple times before a Lakers’ 5-0 run put them up 8-4.

NMU answered with its own 6-1 burst, aided by Smith and Meyer kills and four GVSU errors, to go ahead 10-9.

Northern re-established a 13-11 lead after a Smith kill and Lakers’ attack error, but Grand Valley then scored five of the last six points, led by three Kendall Stover kills.

Smith had a kill to even the score 14-14 during that streak, but it wouldn’t prove enough.

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