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NMU Volleyball Drops Three Of Four At U.P. Open
 This story was writen by NMU Sports Information MARQUETTE---The Northern Michigan University Volleyball team closed out the UP Open in Vandament Arena Saturday night against Northwood University. Without Jacqueline Smith, the Wildcats fought valiantly in four sets but fell short 3-1 against The Timberwolves. NMU finished the UP Open at 1-3. The two teams started the game off going point-for-point capitalizing on the errors of one another. But seniors Meghan Meyer and Evynn Layshock were not going to make it easy for the Timberwolves, both slamming down big hits. The 'Cats went up 6-3. Set number one remained tight in score as the teams closed in on 25. As Northern made a push to secure the set, the Timberwolves took a timeout to debrief. The score sat at 20-19 at the time of the timeout. The first play following the timeout caused Caylie Barlage to run all the way into the NMU bench to keep the ball in play, making for an amazing recovery. Northwood was able to maintain the lead through until the end. The first set score ended 25-22 in favor of the Timberwolves. Northwood took the first three points of the set, but McKenzie Gruner would not let them get another one as she stepped up to the net blocking a huge hit for the first 'Cat point. The Wildcats began inching their way back onto the scoreboard with help from expert setter Lauren Van Remortel and several photo finish kills by Rayne Thompson. The Timberwolves held the lead 10-7. NMU went on a short drought with no success coming their way and Northwood continued to put points on the board and extended their lead to 17-9. Northern called a timeout to help the team regroup. The 'Cats came out swinging as Meghan Meyer and Rayne Thompson both hit big kills following the timeout. Despite the Timberwolves teetering on match point, the 'Cats were able to put up several points to close the gap, but Northwood was ultimately successful in closing the set 25-18 to go up 2-0. Julia Bouma was hot on the serving line, perfectly placing two aces to push the 'Cats ahead early 4-2. The Wildcats controlled the set, taking advantage of all of the Timberwolves errors. Rayne Thompson did what she does best and hammered a kill right in between the two Northwood blockers hands. The 'Cats laid down kill after kill, giving the Timberwolves little room for recovery. NMU gained its largest set lead of the night at 17-11. Northwood managed to sneak a few more points in, hitting spikes deep into the back row. Liesl Haugen ran to all ends of the court to keep the 'Cats in the game. They were not going to let the Timberwolves take three straight, as Evynn Layshock ended the drought with a kill and NMU secured set three 25-20. Set four started out similar to the opening set with Northwood making a heavy push to take the opening points. The Wildcats fought back as Lauren Van Remortel tossed her first row perfect sets, but Northwood led 4-2. Remi Madison added her name to the score sheet with her first kill of the game. Following some faulty plays by the Timberwolves, the 'Cats tied the set up 10-10. Northwood was able to take four straight points on the Wildcats, creating a tough gap on the scoreboard. A quick timeout kept the 'Cats energized as the gap remained manageable 19-14. Remi Madison and Mckenzie Gruner blocked multiple massive hits from the Northwood front row, keeping the 'Cats in the game as long as they could. The Timberwolves left no room for error down the stretch as they closed out the set 25-20 and the match.
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