Great Lakes Wire

The Northern Michigan University (NMU) volleyball team faced a challenging match against the undefeated Ferris State Bulldogs, ranked No. 7, on Saturday at Vandament Arena. Despite a strong effort, NMU fell in four sets with scores of 25-22, 10-25, 27-29, and 19-25.

Allie Barlow contributed significantly with 46 assists, marking the second-highest in her career. She delivered an impressive performance with 18 assists on NMU's 19 kills during their first set win. Jacqueline Smith led NMU's attack with 19 kills while Kaysie Bakke achieved a career-high of 10 kills. Ferris State's Olivia Henneman-Dallape topped the match with 22 kills.

Ferris State maintained a hitting percentage of .312 compared to NMU's .184.

In the opening set, both teams exchanged points initially until NMU managed to secure a narrow lead through contributions from players like Kaysie Bakke and Helen Beiring. The Wildcats' early advantage forced Ferris into timeouts as they tried to regain control. Ultimately, NMU clinched the first set thanks to a decisive kill by Meghan Meyer assisted by Allie Barlow.

The second set saw Ferris State gaining an early lead over NMU despite efforts from McKenzie Gruner and others to close the gap. Strong attacks and blocks from Ferris extended their lead significantly before taking the set at 25-10.

The third set was closely contested with both teams trading points throughout. Critical plays from Caylie Barlage and Jacqueline Smith kept NMU in contention during extra points until Ferris secured the set at 29-27.

During the fourth set, initial exchanges were followed by a Wildcat run that prompted another timeout from Ferris State. However, late-game momentum shifted towards Ferris as they pulled away to win both the set and match at 25-19.

Looking ahead, NMU will return home next weekend for matches against Saginaw Valley State on Friday evening and Lake Superior State on Saturday afternoon.