The Dragons didn't back down from the tough task of defeating the Wildcats on Friday night, they were the aggressor as they survived the five set match and knocked off the Wildcats, who were receiving votes in the AVCA national poll.
Tiffin came out like a house on fire, rallying from an early deficit to lead 14-11. The Wildcats clawed their way back in the set as they pulled to within a point at 18-17. Tiffin kept the heat on Northern Michigan, and pulled out a set one win 25-23. Statistically, Tiffin had their best hitting set, clocking in with a .361 hitting percentage.
Northern Michigan seemed to find themselves at the start of the second set, but once again it was a Tiffin rally that turned the tide. The Dragons, trailing 9-3, kept pushing forward and eventually pulled even at 22-22. Tiffin won four of the final six points on their way to a 26-24 2nd set win.
It was all Northern Michigan in the 3rd and 4th set as they dropped Tiffin 25-16 and 25-17 respectively. In both sets the Wildcats posted hitting percentages that were in excess of .300. On Tiffin's side of the net it was errors that derailed Tiffin in both sets as they committed 14 combined errors in the two sets.
With both sides having won two sets, it was do or die in the 5th set. Both sides traded points early, but Tiffin found their second wind as the set progressed. Tiffin finished the set on a 9-2 run to drop the Wildcats 15-8 and preserve a 3-2 win.
It is only the second time Tiffin has ever defeated the Wildcats, with the other instance coming last year. The Wildcats had received seven votes in the national rankings prior to this evenings' match and sat all alone in second place in the GLIAC. Now the Dragons are tied for second overall in the GLIAC and in the South are tied for first place.
Individually, Tiffin was led by the stellar play of Danielle Hicks. Pounding 14 kills, Hicks added six digs and hit at a .243 clip. Jenna Huffman finished with 11 kills, 13 digs, and 4.0 blocks. Emily Weithman compiled 30 assists while Loryn Huffman chipped in with 18. Defensively, Tiffin totaled 11 blocks and Taylor Lattimore finished with 17 digs. The Dragons were dominant at the service line, collecting six service aces while the Wildcats committed 10 service errors.
Tiffin has won five straight games and are 10-6 overall and 5-3 in the GLIAC. They will be back at it tomorrow as they tangle with the Michigan Tech Huskies in Houghton.