North Michigan News

The Northern Michigan University women's volleyball team secured a four-set victory over the Davenport Panthers on Saturday at Vandament Arena, with set scores of 24-26, 25-18, 25-23, and 25-21. The win brings the Wildcats' overall record to 13-13 and their conference record to 10-4.

After losing the first set, Northern Michigan responded by winning the next three sets. Junior libero Liesl Haugen tied her own program record for the second-most digs in a single match with 38, anchoring a defensive effort that resulted in a season-high 102 digs for the team.

Setter Allie Barlow distributed 53 assists during the match. Four Wildcats—McKenzie Gruner (15), Sydney Bartels (14), Kaysie Bakke (13), and Madison York (10)—each recorded double-digit kills. The Wildcats posted a .177 hitting percentage compared to Davenport's .169 and outpaced their opponents in service aces by a margin of 10 to five, with Haugen leading with four aces.

Assistant coach Kamryn Duffield commented after the game: "I am super proud of the team for gutting out this win. We went into it knowing we'd have to win the defensive battle and we persisted through a lot of tough rallies to do so. Both sides of our first contact game were great which helped us tremendously, especially down the stretch. We also couldn't be happier to take this one in four sets! We are excited for two more matches in the Vandament next weekend!"

With this result, Northern Michigan has reached a .500 overall record for the first time this season and is now fourth in their conference standings, trailing leaders Ferris State and Grand Valley State by one game. The Wildcats hold a one-game lead over fifth-seeded Parkside as they approach their final two regular-season matches at home against Lake Superior State and Saginaw Valley State on November 14 and 15.