Wildcats defeat Winona State but fall to Saint Cloud State
MARQUETTE, Mich. – The Northern Michigan volleyball team opened its season with a 3-1 victory over Winona State before falling 3-0 to No. 5 St. Cloud State to wrap up the first day of the UP North Volleyball Tournament at Vandament Arena.
The Wildcats looked poised in the opener, knocking off the Warriors 25-23, 25-20, 22-25, and 25-19. NMU recorded 61 kills in the match, led by freshman Anna O’Keefe, who turned heads with 20 kills in her collegiate debut, one of four ‘Cats reaching double figures.
NMU struggled with the No. 5 St. Cloud State Huskies in the nightcap, falling in straight sets 19-25, 17-25, and 8-25. The Huskies went 2-0 on the day, with a sweep of Cal State East Bay earlier in the afternoon.
Barlow notched 55 assists against the Warriors and 75 on the day. O’Keefe added 27 kills over the two matches. Haugen paced NMU in digs both times, with 28 in the opener and 10 in the evening.
NMU hit .203 with six aces in the first match, but fell to .086 in the second with no aces.
Northern Michigan 3, Winona State 1
Freshman Anna O’Keefe opened the match with a block for her first career point, then added two kills as NMU built an early 5-3 lead in the first set. Consecutive kills from fellow freshman Laynie Russell kept the pressure on, with the two combining for the Wildcats’ first five points.
WSU battled back to tie it at 12 as the set stayed tight the whole way through. A Larsen Bonnstetter solo block held the line at 15-15, and a Kaylie McIntosh ace forced a Winona State timeout with NMU up 20-18.
The Warriors answered with four of the next five points to take a 22-21 lead, but O’Keefe wasn’t done, as back-to-back kills gave NMU set point, and a third sealed it, 25-23.
O’Keefe finished with eight kills in her first career set. Russell added four as the freshman duo combined for 12 of NMU’s 19 kills. Allie Barlow ran the offense with 17 assists.
O’Keefe picked up right where she left off, opening the second set with another kill to reach double digits at 10 as NMU jumped to a 4-1 lead. The set again went back and forth from there, with NMU holding a three-point cushion at 12-9 before Winona State tied it at 13.
A kill from KC Fortune forced a WSU timeout with NMU ahead 19-16, and an ace from Lauren Cardwell pushed the lead to 23-17. NMU closed it out 25-20 to take a 2-0 match lead.
Winona State came out with intent in the third, scoring seven of the first 10 points. A Fortune block sparked a 6-of-7 run to go up 9-8, and the set tightened with NMU up 12-11.
That’s when WSU found another gear, ripping off five straight to lead 16-12 and force an NMU timeout. McIntosh answered with a kill and an ace to pull within one, but Winona State held its ground, leading 22-18 late. Despite kills from McIntosh and O’Keefe down the stretch, WSU took the set 25-22, backed by four aces, to cut the match deficit to 2-1.
Winona State carried that momentum into the fourth, opening with a 3-0 lead. NMU answered fast with four straight points, including O’Keefe’s 15th kill of the match with a Barlow ace. But WSU wasn’t finished either. The Warriors took the next three, then three more to force an NMU timeout and go up 9-5, then pushed further ahead to 11-5 midset. NMU clawed back within three at 11-8 on two McIntosh kills and an O’Keefe block. Four straight NMU points cut it to 14-13, and then the ‘Cats tied the set at 16.
Then the Wildcats took over. NMU grabbed its first lead since 4-3 at 18-17, forcing a WSU timeout. A Russell block and two kills triggered another Warrior timeout with NMU ahead 21-18. From there, the Wildcats slammed the door with six straight points after the 18-18 tie, reaching match point at 24-18. O’Keefe’s 20th kill of the night finished it, 25-19.
Freshman Anna O’Keefe led the Wildcats with 20 kills in her debut, hitting .381. She also paced NMU with 2.5 blocks. KC Fortune and Kaylie McIntosh each had 12, while Laynie Russell added 10. Allie Barlow orchestrated the offense with 55 assists.
St. Cloud State 3, Northern Michigan 0
O’Keefe opened the match with a kill, but SCSU answered with four straight before NMU knotted the score at 5-5. From there, the Huskies took control.
SCSU hit nearly .500 in the early going and built a 14-9 lead at the midway point, prompting an NMU timeout. The Huskies maintained a three-to-five-point cushion for most of the way, and a second NMU timeout came down when the Huskies broke that seal at 21-15.
NMU had one push left. A block from KC Fortune and Larsen Bonnstetter sparked a 4-0 run, forcing an SCSU timeout at 21-19. But the Huskies closed with the final four points to take the set 25-19, hitting .341 for the frame. O’Keefe again led NMU with four kills.
St. Cloud State carried that form into the second set, scoring the first four points. The Huskies doubled up NMU 10-5, then pulled further ahead to 16-7 as they continued to control play. NMU had moments, as a Bonnstetter block and kills from O’Keefe and Bonnstetter kept them within striking distance, but the No. 5 team in the country was too much. SCSU took the set 25-17 for a 2-0 match lead.
The third set opened much the same way. SCSU’s 4-0 run forced an NMU timeout down 6-2, and the Huskies kept pressing, building a 12-3 lead that prompted NMU’s final timeout of the match. SCSU wasn’t finished, ripping off six straight to push it to 14-3 before an Allie Barlow block halted a run. The Huskies closed it out 25-8 to complete the sweep.
SCSU’s Hannah Bruskiewicz led the match with 11 kills, hitting .769. NMU was led by O’Keefe with seven.
Up Next
The Wildcats return to action tomorrow night as they take on Minnesota Duluth at 7 p.m. at Vandament Arena.
