This striry was written by NMU Sports Infomation
MARQUETTE, Mich. – For the fourth straight match, the Northern Michigan Wildcats and Michigan Tech Huskies found themselves in a five-set nail-biter. And for the fourth straight time, the Green and Gold came out on top, knocking off the Huskies 25-18, 22-25, 25-21, 22-25, and 15-10 on Tuesday night in a packed Vandament Arena.
Nearly 1,000 fans were treated to a stellar rivalry match and one of the best individual Wildcat performances in recent memory.
Sophomore Kaylie McIntosh recorded a career-high 28 kills on a .321 attack percentage. It was the most Wildcat kills in Vandament Arena since its renovations in 2024, and was also the most by a Wildcat since Jacqueline Smith posted her career-high of 28 vs. the Huskies on October 30, 2024.
"I'm extremely proud of our team's mental toughness tonight," said McIntosh following the win. "Through the intense rallies, we stayed composed as a unit and remained within our system when we were down. Our hitters had full confidence in our defense to cover us while hitting, and that trust is what got us through to the end. This was the confidence boost that we needed, and I'm super excited for the rest of the season."
It was more than just McIntosh who got the job done when Northern needed it most. Senior setter Allie Barlow notched 61 assists, just one off her career high. Freshmen Anna O'Keefe (14 kills), Laynie Russell (12), and Olivia Ziemer (8) all contributed significant moments on offense.
Defensively, Larsen Bonnstetter had three blocks, including a combined block with O'Keefe on the final point of the match. Senior Liesl Haugen had a team-high 16 digs and became just the fourth Wildcat in program history to reach 1,500 career digs.
The Wildcats put down 70 kills, the most in a match since the aforementioned October 30, 2024, matchup with the Huskies when they had 73. NMU finished with a .241 attack percentage, its second-best mark of the season.
Michigan Tech was led by senior Rachel Zurek, who had 24 kills on a .340 attack percentage. Madelynn Kreider had 52 assists, and Tricia Kennedy had a match-high 4.5 blocks. The Huskies led in aces, 7-3, and blocks, 11-7. Northern improved to 3-2 in the GLIAC, while the Huskies fell to 2-3. Both teams are 6-7 overall.
STORY BELOW COURTESY OF MICHIGAN TECH ATHLETICS
MARQUETTE, Mich. – The Michigan Tech volleyball team fell 3-2 at Northern Michigan on Tuesday evening. The Huskies won sets two and four, but the Wildcats took the fifth 15-10.\
"We fought hard and put on a good show, but unfortunately couldn't pull it all together at the end," Tech coach Cindy Pindral said. "Our blocking came alive tonight, and Rachel had an outstanding offensive performance, but it wasn't enough to earn a road win. We will turn our attention to a tough match in Detroit on Friday.
The match saw 25 ties and 11 lead changes and lasted two hours and 26 minutes. NMU hit .414 in the opening set and won 25-18 to take the lead. Rachel Zurek tallied five kills for the Huskies while Kaylie McIntosh and Anna O'Keefe also put down five kills for the home team.
The Huskies never trailed in the second to tie it at the break, 25-22. NMU had more kills but also committed 11 errors. Kayla Heinonen recorded six kills for the Huskies on nine attempts.
NMU won the third 25-21 after 12 ties and six different lead changes. The home team scored seven of the final 10 points to take the 2-1 lead. Rachel Zurek tallied five kills for Tech and Kaylie McIntosh had eight kills for NMU.
Tech forced a fifth set after winning 25-21 in the fourth. The Black and Gold never trailed and quickly jumped out to a four-point lead. NMU made a late push, but the Huskies rode the hot hand of Rachel Zurek, who put down five kills in the fourth on seven attempts.
There were five ties early in the fifth before the home team was able to build a three-point lead. The Huskies couldn't get closer, and NMU finished on a 4-1 run.
Rachel Zurek finished one kill short of her career-high with 24 kills while hitting .340. Kayle Heinonen finished with 11 kills and 16 digs. Jacqueline Yancy added season-best 10 kills. Madelynn Kreider set the attack with 52 assists and added a career-best 19 digs. Madelyn Elsen (12), Keeley Nellis (11), and Amelia Albers (10) also had double-digit digs.
Kayla McIntosh led NMU with a match-high 28 digs. Allie Barlow tallied 61 assists, and Liesl Haugen recorded 16 digs.
Tech continues on the road this week at Wayne State on Friday night. First serve is set for 6:30 p.m. in Detroit.
