Lake Superior State projected tenth
MARQUETTE, Mich. – The Northern Michigan volleyball team has been picked fourth in the 2025 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Preseason Poll, announced by the conference on Tuesday.
The Wildcats finished third in 2024 after a 13-4 in-conference record. Grand Valley State has been picked to take the league title with eight of 11 first-place votes. Following the Lakers is Ferris State with the remaining three first-place votes. Wayne State comes in at third, followed by the Wildcats and Michigan Tech to round out the top-5.
2025 GLIAC Volleyball Preseason Coaches’ Poll
1. Grand Valley State, 98 (8)
2. Ferris State, 92 (3)
3. Wayne State, 76
4. Northern Michigan, 68
5. Michigan Tech, 67
6. Parkside, 59
7. Davenport, 42
8. Purdue Northwest, 38
9. Saginaw Valley State, 34
10. Lake Superior State, 18
11. Roosevelt, 13
After losing five seniors including all-time kills leader Jacqueline Smith, the Green and Gold will have a different look, but the expectations remain the same. Captained by Allie Barlow, McKenzie Gruner, and Helen Beiring, the Wildcats will look for new and creative ways to fill the void of what they’ve come accustomed to in years past.
Standing 6’2″, senior middle blocker McKenzie Gruner will be a force for the Wildcats at the net. Last season, Gruner played in all 29 matches with 28 starts. She was named to the UP North Tournament All-Tournament Team with 39 kills, 8 blocks, and a .471 attack percentage over three matches which included a career-high 15 kills in a victory over No. 7 St. Cloud State. She finished the campaign with 224 kills while leading the team with 57 total blocks.
Junior Allie Barlow was named to the All-GLIAC Second Team in 2024 after finishing with 1,175 assists on the season and 667 in conference play. The Cedar Rapids, Iowa native had four matches with 50+ kills and was a two-time GLIAC Setter of the Week. She notched a career-best 62 assists in a five-set victory at Michigan Tech, ranked 2nd in league play with 27 service aces, and finished the season with 44 service aces, 99 kills, 260 digs, and 9 total blocks.
Junior libero Liesl Haugen was named an All-GLIAC Honorable Mention for the second straight season in 2024. She played in all 29 total matches for the Wildcats and was honored as the GLIAC Defensive Player of the Week in week 9 following 63 digs over three matches. She recorded a team-best 450 digs with 249 coming in conference play and reached 20+ digs in seven matches with a career-best 31 against Michigan Tech.
On the outside, NMU will look several returners to step up into an even larger role. Juniors Helen Beiring and Kaysie Bakke each recorded over 100 kills last season, while Rayne Thompson, Madison York, KC Fortune, and Sydney Bartels also return with plenty of opportunity ahead of them.
Entering his ninth season guiding the Northern program, Lozier brings a 132-88 (.600) overall record into the 2025 campaign. Kam Duffield will accompany Lozier on the Wildcat bench for the third straight season, while five-year standout student-athlete Lauren Van Remortel has been brought on for her first full-year as an assistant coach.
“We only have one home weekend in September and one more in October,” Lozier said. “The hope is that you weather the storm early and just battle, battle, battle. “I am really excited to unleash this new brand of NMU volleyball and I am 100% confident that we are going to give it our best shot every night…and I think our best shot is pretty good.”
The Wildcats will open up the season at the SpringHill Suites Invitational in Pensacola, Florida on September 4-6. NMU will play 10 matches on the road ahead of its home opener against Parkside on September 26.
