North Michigan News

Caylie Barlage, a senior from California, is set to complete her final season with the Northern Michigan University (NMU) Wildcats. The team will face Parkside in the GLIAC Quarterfinals on November 20 at Vandament Arena.

Barlage chose NMU for its different environment compared to her home state. She found a sense of belonging during her visit to Marquette. "The girls that I met welcomed me with open arms and talked to me not like I was just a 'little recruit' but like an actual person, where other teams hadn't," she shared.

Throughout her four years as a Wildcat, Barlage has been instrumental in the team's performance. In her freshman year, she led with 52 service aces and continued this achievement into her sophomore year with 54 service aces. Her junior year saw a career-high of six service aces in a match against LSSU.

Post-graduation, Barlage plans to attend graduate school and pursue a Graduate Assistant position to coach volleyball. She is currently studying Sports Science at Northern Michigan University.

Reflecting on her experiences, Barlage recalled memorable bus rides with her teammates. "[During the] bus rides, we'd randomly all wake up at the same time... It would be the most random thing we'd all take a nap and then we'd all wake up at the same time and start talking and joking around with each other. We were right basically on the same schedule," she recounted.

When asked about how her freshman self would view her current progress, Barlage said, "I think she'd be proud of the way I've matured. It's hard to put it into words, but just the way of maturing and changing. Truly all about the journey."