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Laker Volleyball's Upset Bid Comes Up Just Short at NMU

Laker Volleyball's Upset Bid Comes Up Just Short at NMU

MARQUETTE, Mich. - The Lake Superior State volleyball team (1-10, 0-3 GLIAC) fell to the Northern Michigan University Wildcats (10-1, 3-0 GLIAC) after pushing them to the brink in a decisive fifth set on Friday.

The match would open up back and forth as the Lakers twice responded to two-point Wildcat leads before a service ace from Emily Hagelthorn (South Lyon, Mich.) gave her team their first lead of the night. The Wildcats would once again score two straight points, but the Lakers responded with a 5-1 run that featured multiple kills from Mariana Velasque (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)  to retake the lead and force a Northern Michigan timeout. The Wildcats came out of the timeout with a 5-1 run of their own, but the Lakers were able to go on runs of 5-1 and 5-0, with the latter being capped off by back-to-back kills from Emilee McDaniel (Manistique, Mich.) to take a commanding 21-14 lead, and after two consecutive points from NMU, a pair of kills from Velasque propelled the Lakers to a 4-1 run to claim the opening set 25-17.

The Lakers would carry their momentum from the first set as an emphatic kill from McDaniel helped her team to an early 4-1 run. The Wildcats were able to go on a run of their own to take the lead, but the Lakers tied up the score with an ace from Ally Lasley (Birch Run, Mich.). Both teams would then trade points, but a Sydney Briney (St. Joseph, Mich.) service ace and three kills from McDaniel helped their team to a 5-1 run to go up 15-12. Both teams would go back to trading points, including three kills from Velasque. However, the Wildcats were able to go on a 5-0 run to take a 23-20 lead, and despite a crafty kill from Emily Kalinowski (South Lyon, Mich.), NMU would take the second set by a score of 25-21, tying the match at 1-1.

The third set would start off back and forth, but the Wildcats were able to slowly climb to a four-point lead. A kill from Nina White (Chelsea, Mich.) kept the Lakers within striking distance, but NMU was able to respond with a 4-0 run. The Lakers fought back with a 4-1 run of their own, but it would not be enough as the Wildcats were able to hold on to take the third set by a score of 25-18.

The Lakers would come out in force to start the fourth set as three kills from McDaniel led them to an early 6-1 run to take a four-point lead. NMU was able to go on a 7-1 run of their own to take the lead, but a 3-0 scoring burst from the Lakers put them right back in front 12-11. The Wildcats were able to push out ahead again, but the Lakers fought back again as a kill from White capped off a 4-1 run, cutting the deficit to a single point. Then, a kill from Jordyn Haller (Sault Ste. Marie, Mich.) helped the Lakers tie the score at 23-23, and an NMU miscue would give Lake State a set point opportunity. The Wildcats were able to survive a pair of set points, but the Lakers were able to dig deep and take the set by a score of 27-25 to force a decisive fifth set. 

White opened up the scoring with a kill, and after the Wildcats scored two of their own, McDaniel tied up the score at 2-2. However, NMU was able to use a 5-1 run to push ahead. The Lakers pushed back with a kill from Velasque, but the Wildcats pressed on to go up 14-6. The Lakers rallied with three consecutive points, but NMU would hit on their third match point attempt, taking the match 3-2 and ending the Lakers' bid at the upset.

Despite the loss, Velasque had a productive evening with a 17-kill, 13-dig double-double, and McDaniel was right behind her offensively with 16 kills of her own on an efficient hitting percentage of .400 while also picking up three solo blocks defensively. Kalinowski finished the match with 44 assists and Lasley led all players with 19 digs. 

The Lakers will look to bounce back on Saturday, Sept. 17 when they travel to Houghton, Mich. to take on the Michigan Tech Huskies with the first serve scheduled for 2 p.m.