Great Lakes Wire

The Northern Michigan volleyball team secured a four-set victory against Michigan Tech on Thursday night at Vandament Arena, with scores of 22-25, 25-23, 25-17, and 25-15. This win was bolstered by the Wildcats tying their season-high with 13 aces.

Julia Bouma led the Wildcats with five aces, followed closely by Allie Barlow with four. The team's performance has positioned them as leaders in the GLIAC for service aces, now totaling 112.

The Wildcats achieved their third-best hitting percentage this season at .285. Jacqueline Smith was prominent in the match with 18 kills and a hitting percentage of .333. McKenzie Gruner contributed eight kills on a .583 clip, Meghan Meyer added another eight, while Helein Beiring chipped in seven kills and Kaysie Bakke recorded six. Allie Barlow also contributed significantly with 43 assists and Liesl Haugen provided strong defense with 17 digs.

"I'm so proud of the team," said Kaysie Bakke after the match. "We were playing together, and everyone was doing their job. It is awesome to see some things we have been working on come together against a quality opponent. We are excited for more opportunities to keep getting better!"

The match began with Michigan Tech taking set one at 25-22. NMU built an early lead but Tech managed to even the score before clinching the set through a block and kill combination.

In set two, NMU responded strongly starting off with a five-point run including three consecutive aces from Allie Barlow which prompted a timeout from MTU. Despite several comebacks from Michigan Tech throughout the set, NMU managed to maintain their lead and won it 25-23 after key plays from Kaysie Bakke and Julia Bouma.

Set three saw NMU continue their momentum winning it comfortably at 25-17 aided by contributions from Helen Beiring both offensively and defensively alongside Jacqueline Smith's consistent performance.

NMU dominated in set four beginning with an early lead that resulted in another timeout called by Tech. The Wildcats maintained control throughout securing victory at 25-15 thanks to Meghan Meyer's decisive kill.

This win marks Northern's third victory out of four matches against its UP rival this season and is notably their first triumph within Vandament Arena since its opening.

Northern Michigan now holds a record of 10 wins to four losses (6-1 GLIAC), whereas Michigan Tech drops to eight wins against six losses (4-3 GLIAC).

The Wildcats are scheduled for another home game at Vandament Arena on Friday evening against Roosevelt University who recently joined GLIAC.