Great Lakes Wire

The Northern Michigan University (NMU) Volleyball team faced off against the Michigan Tech Huskies on Halloween night, marking the final regular season meeting between the Upper Peninsula schools. The Wildcats overcame a 2-0 deficit to win in five sets before an enthusiastic crowd at Vandament Arena.

Michigan Tech initially dominated, winning the first two sets with scores of 18-25 and 12-25. However, NMU rallied in the third set, securing a 25-21 victory. The Wildcats continued their momentum into the fourth set, narrowly winning 25-23, and decisively took the fifth set 15-4.

"The second set was about as bad of volleyball as we have played," said NMU coach Mike Lozier. "But we kept fighting, the crowd got into it, and we realized and played to our potential. [Our team] deserved that celebration in the locker room after the match, and I'm really proud of them."

Jacqueline Smith led NMU with 21 kills, tying her season-high. Meghan Meyer contributed 13 kills while Evynn Layshock added 11. Lauren Van Remortel provided 39 assists after joining in the second set. Liesl Haugen and Caylie Barlage made significant defensive contributions with 20 and 17 digs respectively.

This match marked only the second time in nearly six years that these rivals went to a decisive fifth set; NMU also won their previous encounter in April 2021.

"This was the last time as we know Vandament that we play Tech," Lozier noted. "It mattered, and the important thing for our girls to understand is this rivalry matters. It's our responsibility to play as hard as we can; we made a choice to start doing that, and we got the result we wanted."

The victory improves NMU's record to 9-16 overall and 6-8 in conference play within GLIAC standings, positioning them just 1.5 games behind fourth place with four matches remaining.

The Wildcats will host two home games this weekend at Vandament Arena: Friday against Saginaw Valley State University at 6:30 p.m., followed by Senior Day on Saturday versus Ferris State at 3:30 p.m.