North Michigan News

The Northern Michigan University volleyball team is set to compete in the Midwest Region Crossover this weekend in Hammond, Indiana. The event will feature 38 teams from the GLIAC, GLVC, and G-MAC conferences.

Northern Michigan will begin the tournament on Friday, October 17, facing Findlay at 12:30 p.m. ET. Later that day, they will play Quincy at 5:30 p.m. ET. Their third opponent will be determined after Friday's matches and played on Saturday.

Assistant Coach Lauren Van Remortel commented on the team's preparation: "Right now, we are experiencing what it feels like to be playing Wildcat Volleyball. Going into this weekend, we have a good idea of who we are and how we want to play. We are playing two good teams, but the expectations don't change for us at all."

The Wildcats have played most of their matches away from home this season, with 14 of their first 16 matches on the road. After this weekend, they will have played 17 of their first 19 matches away from Marquette. Last weekend, they played in Hammond against Purdue Northwest and secured a four-set win.

Libero Liesl Haugen has been a key player during NMU's current six-match winning streak. After returning from injury six matches ago, she earned back-to-back GLIAC Defensive Player of the Week honors. On October 9 against Michigan Tech, she recorded 38 digs—the highest total by any GLIAC player this season and the second-highest in NMU history. Since her return on September 26, Haugen ranks second in the conference with an average of five digs per set during league play.

Offensively, McKenzie Gruner has contributed at least twelve kills in each match of the winning streak and has hit over .300 in five matches. In conference play, her .385 hitting percentage leads all players and her 88 kills rank ninth. Freshman Kaylie McIntosh has also made an impact with an average of 13.5 kills per match over the last four contests and ranks second in the GLIAC for service aces per set.

Setter Allie Barlow averages nearly ten assists per set and has helped four different Wildcats reach double-digit kills in each four-set or longer match during the streak.

Northern Michigan defeated Findlay in five sets at last year's Crossover but lost to them earlier that season. Their last meeting with Quincy was a loss in the 2022 NCAA Tournament.

Findlay enters the tournament with a record of 12-2 (6-1 G-MAC) and is receiving votes in the latest AVCA Poll. The Oilers are among the national leaders in kills per set (fourth), assists per set (fifth), and hitting percentage (14th). Junior outside hitter Makenna Belcher leads Findlay with 210 kills and ranks among the top nationally for kills per set. Senior setter Emma White averages 11.5 assists per set, ranking fourth nationally.

Quincy holds a record of 13-4 (4-2 GLVC) and also features a strong offense, ranking within the top fifty nationally for assists, kills, and hitting percentage. Junior Susanna Beretti is seventh nationally for kills per set while setter Elena Kasavica is ranked twenty-third for total assists.

Fans can follow updates throughout the weekend on Instagram and X via @NMU_Wildcats and @NMU_Volleyball.

"Right now, we are experiencing what it feels like to be playing Wildcat Volleyball. Going into this weekend, we have a good idea of who we are and how we want to play. We are playing two good teams, but the expectations don't change for us at all." – Assistant Coach Lauren Van Remortel