Northern Michigan University’s Allie Barlow lunges for a dig in the first set of a GLIAC volleyball match played against Michigan Tech at the Vandament Arena in Marquette on Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024. Looking on for the Huskies are, from left, Tess Hayes, Paige Wagner and Kate Loch. (Photo courtesy Daryl T. Jarvinen)

By Journal Sports Staff

MARQUETTE — The Northern Michigan University volleyball team took care of business during the final weekend of the regular season, going on the road and sweeping a pair of schools that missed the upcoming eight-team GLIAC Tournament.

The Wildcats knocked off 10th-place Lake Superior State, then took out ninth-place Saginaw Valley State.

NMU finished third in the conference at 13-4, 19-8 overall, to earn a home berth in Wednesday’s first-round quarterfinals. Northern hosts No. 6 Wisconsin Parkside, which finished the regular season at 7-9 in league, 11-15 overall, at 6 p.m. in the newly refurbished and expanded Vandament Arena.

If the Wildcats win that match, they have an outside shot at hosting the tourney semifinals and finals this weekend, but that is quite a long shot at it would take undefeated and national No. 1 Ferris State to be upset at home by No. 8 seed Purdue Northwest on Wednesday. And actually, No. 2 Grand Valley State would also have to lose that night to No. 7 Davenport.

No matter who is hosting, the semifinals are scheduled for Saturday and championship match on Sunday at the home of the highest remaining seed after Wednesday’s matches are completed.

The tournament champion not only claims the title and trophy, but the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division II national tournament.

Here are details from last weekend’s matches:

NMU 3, Lake Superior St. 0

On Friday in Sault Ste. Marie, the Wildcats needed less than 90 minutes to dispatch the Lakers, 25-14, 25-20, 25-9. This marked Northern’s first sweep in nearly two months, when it pulled off a 3-0 win at Parkside in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on Sept. 20.

NMU didn’t really dominate any particular statistical category, but won just about all of them, holding a 35-27 edge in kills, 6-2 in blocks, 33-25 in assists and 51-43 in digs. The Wildcats did have a rather decisive 10-3 advantage in service aces, though.

Northern’s usual offensive leader Jacqueline Smith had more than twice as many kills as any other player on either team with 13. Teammate Kaysie Bakke added six and McKenzie Gruner had five.

Smith also had 11 digs and two blocks, while Gruner did the double-up routine with five blocks as no other player on either side had more than two.

Teammate Allie Barlow led the way with four aces, while Leisl Haugen paced the digs department with 12 as she also had three aces.

“I am very proud of this team,” Wildcats head coach Mike Lozier said in an NMU Sports Information news release about the match. “It has been awhile since we got a 3-0 sweep, and to do it in convincing fashion was great.”

While the Lakers scored three of the first four points of the night, all on Northern attack errors, NMU quickly took the lead for good in the first set at 10-9 on a Bakke kill that began an extended 11-3 streak. Also in that time were another kill by Bakke and three by Smith, along with an ace from Meghan Meyer.

Even leading 20-12, NMU didn’t let up, scoring five of the final six points of the set culminated by a Caylie Barlage ace.

The Wildcats again gave up the first point of the second set, but turned it quickly into a 5-2 lead, with points won with two Barlow aces and a Smith kill.

LSSU caught fire at mid-set, scoring six points in a row to go up 15-13. But the Wildcats had their extinguishers at the ready, going on an 8-2 run to take a 21-17 advantage. In that streak, Gruner had two kills and Smith, Bakke and Meyer one apiece, while Haugen pitched in with an ace.

They didn’t let the Lakers score two points in a row after that, ending the set on back-to-back kills by Barlow and Gruner.

The third set got out of hand quickly. NMU turned a 5-1 start into an 18-5 bulge after winning 12 of 13 points. In that streak, Madison York scored back-to-back kills, while Gruner, Bakke, Meyer and Barlage each had a kill and Haugen made two aces.

Northern ended the match scoring five points in a row, the final one a Meyer ace.

NMU 3, Saginaw Valley St. 0

On Saturday in University Center, Smith again found her lucky number 13 as she again led all players with that many kills as the Wildcats prevailed 25-19, 25-15, 25-17.

Bakke added 10 kills and Meyer six, while Gruner led all players with three blocks, Barlage with two aces and Haugen 11 digs.

“As a staff, we are super pleased with how our athletes competed this weekend,” NMU assistant coach Sarah Kuehn said in the NMU SI release on this match. “They held themselves to a high standard (Friday) and (Saturday) earning both sweeps, and everyone is contributing.

“We are feeling good about how we are playing right now, which is exactly what every coach wants going into postseason play. I’m very proud of our athletes and excited for (this) week.”

The first set opened with seven ties by the time the score was 8-8. The Wildcats then opened a small lead, which expanded with a 4-0 run to make it 17-12, led by Smith and Bakke kills.

They kept SVSU at arm’s length, never letting the Cardinals get closer than three points until a Bakke kill closed out the set.

Northern jumped out quickly in Set 2, taking an 11-3 lead with four kills by Smith, two by York and one each by Barlage and Meyer.

It expanded to 16-6 after three in row that included Meyer and Smith kills, with the set ending on an SVSU service error.

The Wildcats also jumped out to a 7-2 edge in the third set, aided by Meyer and York kills, a Smith ace and four Cardinals errors.

NMU continued to lead, going ahead 20-13 before consecutive kills by Smith, York and finally Smith again ended the set, match and road trip.

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