This story was written by NMU Sports Information. Click the thumbnails to see videos and photos taken by RRN's Casey Ford. Click the AUDIO button to hear post-game comments from Wildcat Coach Mike Lozier.
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Northern Michigan volleyball team earned an impressive road win Friday night, defeating the Davenport Panthers 3-1 (23-25, 25-14, 25-18, 25-21) for the second time this season while also handing the Panthers their first home loss of the year.
After falling in a tightly contested first set, the Wildcats dominated the final three. Northern found success stringing together points throughout the match, recording 10 runs of three or more unanswered points over the final three sets, including closing out the match with the final five points.
The service line was once again a difference-maker for the Wildcats. After recording nine aces in their last match against Lake Superior State, the Wildcats set a season high with 11, including five in the final frame. Allie Barlow and Liesl Haugen led the way with three aces apiece, while the Panthers managed just two as a team.
Northern also made its presence felt at the net, tying a season high with 10 blocks. Larsen Bonnstetter paced the Wildcats with 3.0 blocks, while Laynie Russell contributed another 2.5.
Offensively, Northern hit .226 with 47 kills. KC Fortune led the way with 13, while freshmen Russell and Anna O'Keefe each reached double figures with 10. Davenport was led by Savanah Weathers, who recorded a match-high 14 kills.
"We always talk about playing NMU volleyball and playing our game, and I think tonight we executed that throughout the whole match," said O'Keefe. "Every player was doing their role and trusting each other. We were playing smart, stopped on defense, and trusting our system throughout long rallies. That helped us stay on them and come out on top."
The win extended Northern's winning streak to three matches, its longest of the season. The victory moved the Wildcats to 9-8 overall and 6-3 in the GLIAC. Davenport, which entered the match with a 7-0 home record, fell to 11-5 overall and 5-4 in conference play.
