Mike Lozier Head Coach | Northern Michigan University Athletics Website
Mike Lozier Head Coach | Northern Michigan University Athletics Website
The Northern Michigan University (NMU) volleyball team is set to participate in the 16th annual Midwest Regional Crossover Tournament in Hammond, Indiana. This marks their second visit to the area in recent weeks. The Wildcats have been successful recently, winning five out of their last six matches at home. They will face three regional opponents during the tournament.
The Wildcats' first match is a rematch against Findlay on Friday, October 18 at 3:00 p.m., followed by a game against UIndy later that evening at 8:00 p.m. Their final match will be against Rockhurst on Saturday at 3:00 p.m. ET.
The Midwest Regional Crossover Tournament is the largest NCAA volleyball tournament in the nation and will take place at the Hammond Sportsplex. It features teams from three conferences: 11 from the GLIAC, 13 from the G-MAC, and 14 from the GLVC. The event spans October 18-19 with all teams guaranteed three matches each.
NMU's current overall record stands at 11-4 as they enter this weekend's competition. Their opponents include Findlay with a record of 13-4 and UIndy holding a record of 14-4.
Mike Lozier, NMU's coach, expressed his satisfaction with his team's performance so far this season. "I think we're doing a really nice job of narrowing our focus every day and just getting better," he said. "I'm feeling really good about how our team is approaching this season."
Jacqueline Smith has been a standout player for NMU, breaking records and achieving milestones throughout the season. On October 5th, she surpassed Andrea Gommans' all-time kills record for NMU that had stood since 1993. Smith has recorded double-digit kills in nearly every match this season and ranks second in her conference with a total of 225 kills so far.
As for their upcoming opponents, Findlay previously defeated NMU earlier this season but recently experienced mixed results over their last few games. Kenzie Hoelscher leads Findlay with impressive statistics including being ranked second nationally in hitting percentage.
Meanwhile, UIndy faced challenges last weekend but remains competitive both regionally and nationally in terms of blocks-per-set metrics.
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