Northern Michigan Volleyball Sweeps UW-Parkside

This story was written by NMU Sports Information

SATURDAY MATCH RECAP

MARQUETTE, Mich. -- Northern Michigan University volleyball continues their hot-streak with their fifth-straight win of the season coming over Parkside 3-1 in a Saturday afternoon Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) match

The Rangers got out to an early lead in the first set and never surrendered it. With the score at 22-18, the Wildcats did make a small run. After a Parkside service error and bad set, an Evynn Layshock kill brought NMU within one. The momentum was not enough as the Wildcats fell in the first set for just the second time this season, 21-25.

The second set told a completely different story than the first, with NMU poised as the comeback 'Cats. Down 17-13, the Wildcats did not allow Parkside to score again. The 12-0 run was kicked off by a Rangers' service error followed by a Layshock kill and two Madeline Crowley service aces. Lizzy Stark and Ania Hyatt contributed two kills before another Crowley service ace.

The rest of the set consisted of Layshock registering yet another kill, Crowley earning yet another service ace, one more kill each for Stark and Hyatt, and a Lauren Van Remortel block in the 25-17 set victory.

Both teams traded scoring runs to open the third set. NMU took a 7-2 lead before Parkside came roaring back to a 10-7 advantage. The Wildcats took the lead for good when, after being tied 15-15, a bad set for the Rangers and two Lauren Caprini services aces put the home team on top. NMU went on to win the set 25-18.

The fourth set domination for the Wildcats carried over from yesterday. Parkside kept it close until five-straight points from NMU put the Wildcats up 14-7. The Rangers did attempt a comeback with six straight points, but in the end, a Meghan Meyer kill sealed the 25-19 set and match win.

Meyer registered a team-high 12 kills for NMU and hit at a noteworthy clip with a .524 hitting percentage. Hyatt and Stark also had double-digit kills for the Wildcats with 11 and 10, respectively.

Alli Yacko led the team in digs yet again with 22. 

Crowley was on fire for NMU when it came time to serve. She had five service aces to her name.

The Wildcats return to the court Friday, March 12 when they host GLIAC opponent Northwood. Match one of the two-match weekend series is set to begin at 4:30 p.m.

FRIDAY MATCH RECAP

MARQUETTE, Mich. -- The Wildcats of Northern Michigan University volleyball defeated Parkside 3-1 on Friday evening to improve to 4-1 overall and in Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) play.

 

The first set was neck and neck in the early going. The Wildcats began to pull away when the Rangers committed three consecutive errors. Parkside called a timeout hoping to shift momentum, but NMU came out of the timeout and Evynn Layshock delivered a service ace which was followed by a block from Ania Hyatt and Lauren Van Remortel. For the Wildcats, set one was a 25-18 victory.

 

NMU was up 16-10 after a kill from Meghan Meyer, then things took a turn in the Rangers' favor. Parkside used a 9-0 run to take the 19-16 lead. An attack error from the Rangers brought the Wildcats within one, but in the end, the visiting team earned the 25-22 victory in set two.

 

In the third set, which has been a rough point for NMU this season, the Wildcats got back on the right track. After being tied at 5-5, NMU took the lead for good on back-to-back Parkside attack errors. The set concluded in an excellent fashion for the Wildcats. The final three points came from a Lizzy Stark kill, a Meyer kill, and a block from both Stark and Meyer in the 25-16 set win.

 

The fourth set was never in doubt for NMU. The Wildcats opened the set with four straight points, two of which were Van Remortel service aces. The .414 hitting percentage NMU earned in the fourth was no mistake as they dominated on offense with 12 kills and only one error. It was a match victory for the Wildcats after the 25-17 final set.

 

Stark was the NMU leader in kills with 17 to her name with a .342 hitting percentage. Meyers was next with 12 kills and an impressive .579 hitting percentage.

 

Layshock and Van Remortel made the most of their serving opportunities as they notched four service aces each.

 

Digs were Alli Yacko's specialty as she tallied 27 in the match for the Wildcats.