Wildcats win fifth match in a row over Huskies
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.
How it Happened
Michigan Tech came out strong, using a pair of early aces to build a 4-1 lead. The Wildcats quickly settled in with kills from four different players during a 5-1 run to take their first lead at 6-5.
Tech continued to find success from the service line, taking an 11-9 lead on its fourth ace of the set and forcing an NMU timeout. The Wildcats answered with four straight points to take control, then stretched the lead to 19-14 behind kills from Olivia Ziemer and Anna O’Keefe.
Kaylie McIntosh and O’Keefe finished off the opening set with kills, giving NMU a 25-18 win. McIntosh and O’Keefe each had five kills in the set as the Wildcats hit .414 with 15 kills. After Tech recorded four aces through its first 11 points, NMU did not allow another the rest of the set.
Tech again opened the second set with a 4-1 lead, but O’Keefe provided NMU’s first two kills before McIntosh added four more to reach 10 kills for the match. The Huskies eventually built their largest lead at 15-11 and maintained control into the late stages.
NMU continued to fight, cutting a 23-18 deficit to 23-21 with three straight points and forcing a Tech timeout. The Huskies recovered, taking the set 25-22 to even the match.
McIntosh remained a force in the third set, reaching 17 kills by the time the teams were tied at 10-10. A strong sequence at the net then gave the Wildcats four straight points and a 12-10 advantage.
NMU’s block continued to disrupt Tech’s attack, with the Wildcats sending three straight attacks back into Tech’s side of the court before O’Keefe finished the sequence with a kill. Back-to-back kills from Laynie Russell helped NMU maintain a 17-16 edge.
The Wildcats created some separation late, pushing from a 20-18 lead to 22-18 after a Tech timeout. McIntosh then delivered her career-high 20th kill to make it 23-19, and NMU closed out the set 25-21. McIntosh accounted for eight of the Wildcats’ 18 kills in the frame.
Tech responded with another quick start in the fourth, taking a 5-1 lead before McIntosh helped spark a 4-0 Wildcat run to tie the set at 7-7. The Huskies answered with five straight points, but NMU battled back to within 15-14.
Tech again created separation late, moving ahead 18-14, but the Wildcats refused to go quietly. NMU scored three straight while trailing 24-18, forcing another Tech timeout, before the Huskies closed out the set 25-21 to send the match to a decisive fifth.
The final set opened with another back-and-forth battle before the Wildcats began to take control. All three playing NMU freshmen recorded kills early, helping the Wildcats build their first multi-point lead at 7-5.
Russell followed with a kill and a block to push the advantage to 9-6. After Tech answered with two kills, McIntosh responded with back-to-back kills, including her 28th of the night, before Allie Barlow followed with an ace to make it 13-9.
O’Keefe put the Wildcats on match point with a kill, and she and Larsen Bonnstetter finished the match together at the net, combining for the decisive block as NMU claimed the fifth set 15-10 and secured the rivalry victory.
Up Next
The Wildcats will be on the road this weekend, traveling to Grand Valley State to take on the Lakers on Saturday, September 26. The Huskies head to Wayne State on Friday.
