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END OF THE LINE: NMU Volleyball Falls In NCAA
 Tihis story and photo courtesy of NMU Sports Information Quincy, Ill. - Matching up with the host and No. 1 seed in the Midwest Region of the NCAA Tournament, the NMU volleyball team fought hard but fell in three sets, ending their season at 23-9. Jacqueline Smith led NMU with 14 kills while Meghan Meyer added 9 on a .500 hitting percentage. The Wildcats had first serve, but dropped the first two points before Rayne Thompson got the 'Cats on the board with their first point. Lizzy Stark and Jacqueline Smith contribute with kills, but Quincy kept rolling as they jumped out to a 13-3 lead in the first. An Olivia Webber kill started a Wildcat run that saw the lead get cut in half to 15-8. The Wildcats would get five (5) of the next seven (7) points capped off by an Alli Yacko ace, and the Quincy lead is cut to four (4) at 17-13. A Meghan Meyer kill as the 'Cats try to claw their way back into the game, as they scored 10 of the last 14 points and the score is 19-15. The 'Cats gave a valiant effort to end the set, but couldn't quite get all the way over the hump as the Wildcats dropped set one 25-19. The second frame started back-and-forth with the Hawks and the Wildcats trading points, with kills from Olivia Webber and Meghan Meyer. More back-and-forth plays with kills from Smith and Webber saw the 'Cats remain in striking distance but ultimately found themselves in an 11-6 hole partway through the frame. Back-to-back Lizzy Stark kills followed up by two Meghan Meyer kills of her own and the Wildcats cut into the Hawk's lead, 19-12. The Wildcats would eventually drop set two by a score of 25-17. The Wildcats started out the set on the right note, getting ahead 5-2 behind four kills from Jacqueline Smith. After getting ahead 7-4, the Hawks went on a 7-1 run to go up 11-8 leading to a Wildcats timeout. Northern and Quincy continued to exchange points as the set went on. NMU got even at 17-17, but three straight to the Hawks led to timeout with the 'Cats trailing 20-17. The Hawks finished it out, taking set three 25-18.
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