Great Lakes Wire

On the eve of Halloween, Northern Michigan University's volleyball team triumphed over Michigan Tech in a gripping five-set match at the SDC Gym in Houghton, Michigan. The Wildcats secured victory with set scores of 19-25, 25-15, 25-20, 17-25, and 20-18.

The match reached a dramatic climax when an initial out-of-bounds call against Northern's Jacqueline Smith was overturned after a challenge by Coach Mike Lozier. This decision kept the Wildcats in contention at a crucial moment when Michigan Tech was leading with a match point.

Coach Lozier expressed his pride following the win: "I truly do not have words for what just happened," he said. "I am so proud of this team. It was ugly through the first four sets, but that 5th set will go down as one of my all-time favorites."

Smith's performance was pivotal; she achieved her career-high with her 28th kill to clinch the victory for Northern. She also recorded personal bests in digs with 19, along with two aces and blocks totaling 1.5.

Reflecting on the intense rivalry game, Smith stated: "Rivalry games are always the best! I'm so proud of my team and how we showed up today ready to play."

Several other players reached significant milestones during this match. Meghan Meyer achieved her 1,000th career kill and Caylie Barlage reached her milestone of 1,000 career digs. Allie Barlow contributed significantly with a season-high of 62 assists.

The fifth set saw intense back-and-forth action between both teams before Northern ultimately emerged victorious after successfully defending against multiple match points from Michigan Tech.

Northern has now won their last four regular-season encounters against their rivals. With this victory, they improved their record to 14-7 overall and 8-3 in conference play while Michigan Tech fell to an overall record of 11-10 and conference record of 5-6.

Looking ahead, Northern Michigan is scheduled to host Purdue Northwest on November 1st followed by Parkside on Senior Day on November 2nd.