This story, photo are courtesy of NMU Sports information. Click the AUDIO button to hear RRN's Austin Graham interview NMU Coach Mike Lozier.
HOUGHTON, Mich. – After a pair of 25-20 victories in the first two sets, the Northern Michigan volleyball team rallied from a six-point deficit in the third before falling 28-26, then bounced right back with a 25-20 win in the fourth to capture the season sweep over the Michigan Tech Huskies and six straight wins over their U.P. rival.
"That was unreal," said head coach Mike Lozier. "We have been searching for that spark required to compete at the highest level, and tonight they found it in the biggest moment. We spent the last few days talking about how important this rivalry is to the NMU community, and so to get the win on their floor is special."
The Wildcats controlled play for much of the afternoon, never trailing by more than a single point in either of the first two sets while facing just one multi-point deficit in the fourth. NMU trailed by as many as six in the third set, scored seven of eight to take a late lead and force extra points, but ultimately could not seal the sweep.
It was a big win for the Green and Gold, who have now won six straight matches over the Huskies, the longest winning streak since winning 10 straight from 2010-14.
Northern had its second-best offensive performance of the season, hitting .295 as a team. That effort was led by KC Fortune, who turned in a career-high 21 kills. Kaylie McIntosh followed with 17 while Anna O'Keefe added 13. Allie Barlow dished out 47 assists to quarterback the attack.
"Shoutout to KC and Kaylie on the outside, getting a heavy dose of sets, and finding ways to get the ball to the floor," Lozier added. "This win was special, and we are going to enjoy it."
Defensively, the two liberos, Lauren Cardwell and Taylor Smaka, had 16 and 10 digs, respectively.
Now at 8-7 in the GLIAC with one match remaining, the Wildcats are currently tied with the Huskies for the No. 4 seed, but just 1.5 games behind Saginaw Valley State at No. 3, .5 games behind Davenport (8-6) at No. 4, and .5 games ahead of upcoming opponent Parkside (7-7) at No. 7. All three have two matches remaining this weekend.
