Findlay, Quincy defeat Wildcats 3-0
HAMMOND, Ind. – The Northern Michigan volleyball team faced tough competition at the Midwest Region Crossover on Friday, falling to both Findlay of the G-MAC and Quincy of the GLVC in straight sets.
The Wildcats dropped their opener to Findlay in three (20-25, 17-25, 14-25) before returning to the court later in the day and falling to Quincy (19-25, 12-25, 22-25).
Freshman Kaylie McIntosh paced NMU in both matches with nine and ten kills, respectively. McKenzie Gruner added 15 total kills on the day along with four blocks, while Allie Barlow dished out 48 assists across the two contests.
Northern sits at 7-11 overall and will have one final match in Hammond on Saturday before returning to conference play next weekend.
Match 1: Findlay 3, Northern Michigan 0 (20-25, 17-25, 14-25)
The Wildcats opened with a McIntosh kill, but the Oilers quickly grabbed a 5-2 lead. NMU responded with a 4-0 run capped by an Allie Barlow ace and another McIntosh kill to go up 13-11. The set stayed tight until Findlay rattled off four straight points to take control and win 25-20, outhitting NMU .345 to .069.
Northern started strong again in the second with a 3-0 run, but Findlay answered with 10 of the next 11 points to surge ahead. Despite some pushback from the Wildcats, the deficit proved too much in a 25-17 second-set loss.
The Oilers took early control again in the third, using a 4-0 run to create separation before closing out the match with a 25-14 victory. NMU had its best offensive set in the match at .208 hitting, but Findlay was better at .448.
For the match, Findlay outhit NMU .344 to .092 and held a 45-25 advantage in kills. McIntosh led the Wildcats with nine kills, Barlow tallied three aces, and Gruner added 2.5 blocks.
Match 2: Quincy 3, Northern Michigan 0 (19-25, 12-25, 22-25)
The Wildcats battled closely with Quincy to open the first set, pulling within one point several times before the Hawks held on for a 25-19 win. Gruner led NMU with three kills in the frame.
Quincy stormed out to a 7-0 lead in the second set and never looked back, taking it 25-12 to go up 2-0 in the match.
In the third, NMU showed resilience behind strong stretches from Gruner and McIntosh. The Wildcats trailed by just one at 8-7 before Quincy went on a 7-0 run to regain control. McIntosh helped spark a late push with five kills down the stretch as NMU trimmed the deficit to 23-21, but the Hawks closed out the set 25-22 to complete the sweep.
Northern hit .129 for the match with 31 kills, led by McIntosh’s 10. Quincy’s Susanna Beretti topped all players with 19 kills.
Up Next
The Wildcats will close out their stay in Hammond on Saturday, taking on Ashland at 12:30 p.m. ET before resuming GLIAC action next week.
