Story, photo courtesy of NMU Sports Information
BIG RAPIDS, Mich. – The Northern Michigan Wildcats volleyball season came to a close on Friday, as the Wildcats put up a strong fight against the Grand Valley State Lakers, but fell 3-1, in the semifinals of the GLIAC post-season tournament.
Northern opened the match with vengeance, leading by as many as six and securing a 25-20 victory in the first set. The Lakers responded in the second, cruising to a 25-15 win. They would take the third 25-21 to lead two sets to one. In a back-and-forth final set, GVSU used a late run to claim the set 25-20, advancing to tomorrow's GLIAC title match.
The Wildcats hung tight with the No. 20 team in the nation. GVSU led in kills 57-51 and attack percentage, .257 to .174. Northern was led by the duo of Kaylie McIntosh (16 kills) and Anna O'Keefe (14). Allie Barlow had 42 assists while Lauren Cardwell's 14 digs led four in double figures.
The Lakers were led by Grace Busold with 19 kills, Gabby Orlet with 48 assists, and Lexi Armstrong with 22 digs.
NMU closes the season at 14-15 overall. The Lakers (24-6) advance to play undefeated Ferris State (29-0) for the GLIAC Championship.
Northern came out strong in the opening set, recording six kills in the first 10 points to take a 10-7 lead before extending its advantage to 13-8. GVSU responded with five of six points to pull within one, but the Wildcats answered with a 5-1 run of their own, including three kills from O'Keefe. NMU continued to build its lead before closing out the set 25-20, hitting .316 as a team. O'Keefe led the way with seven kills in the opening frame.
The Lakers responded in the second set, scoring the first three points and quickly building a 6-1 advantage to force an NMU timeout. The Wildcats worked their way back to within 9-7, but GVSU answered with a run of its own to push the lead to 14-8. The Lakers maintained control the rest of the way, hitting .395 in a 25-15 set victory to even the match at one set apiece.
Grand Valley carried that momentum into the third, taking seven of the first 10 points and building a 12-6 advantage midway through the set. Northern began chipping away, closing the gap to 14-12 and eventually rallying to tie the set on four occasions. However, the Lakers put together a crucial 4-0 run to take a 22-18 lead and held on for a 25-21 win, moving ahead 2-1 in the match.
Looking to extend the match, the Wildcats opened the fourth set with three straight points, but Grand Valley quickly responded to take a 5-4 lead. NMU regained the advantage and was first to 10 points, leading 10-8, before the teams traded points through the middle stages.
The Lakers reached 20 first with a 20-17 lead and closed out the set 25-20 to secure the 3-1 victory and advance to the GLIAC Championship match.
