The NMU women’s volleyball team took turns with the broom last weekend, losing Friday’s match against Ashland University 3-0, and then sweeping Lake Erie College 3-0 the following day.
The team’s goal last weekend was to at least split, head coach Dominic Yoder said, and the players accomplished nothing more and nothing less.
“I thought we underachieved against Ashland,” Yoder said. “If we would have come out more mentally prepared for that match, then we would have performed at a higher level.”
With eight Wildcat errors, the Ashland Eagles took the first set 25-16. NMU was not able to pick up their momentum, narrowly losing both the second and third sets, 25-23.
Junior middle hitter Sarah Hamilton said the match was hard because the players would start out slow and wait until the last few points to give their full effort.
“We were upset because we knew that we should have beaten Ashland,” Hamilton said. “We need to play every point like it’s game point.”
Despite Friday’s loss, the ’Cats came back full speed Saturday afternoon to take over the Lake Erie Storm; they defeated Lake Erie (1-4 GLIAC, 2-5 overall) in three quick sets: 25-18, 25-18 and 25-16.
“The ability to get up the next morning is something this team has always been able to do,” Yoder said. “It keeps our chances of competing with and winning the North division.”
Stand out players on Friday were senior left striker Emma Wolfe with 15 kills, junior left defensive specialist Kalin Zimmerman with 16 digs and junior setter Abby Lovell with 35 assists.
On Saturday, top performers were Wolfe with 11 kills, sophomore left side Lina Lopes with 10 kills, Hamilton with 8 kills and freshman setter Kaitlyn Hoffman with 32 assists.
With an advantage of 38-17 on kills and double the blocks compared to Lake Erie, Wolfe said it is very important to be able to forget about a bad match.
“You need to be able to shake it off and focus on the next match,” Wolfe said. “If you’re not able to focus on the next match, you’re not going to be successful.”
The Wildcats improved their record to 3-2 in the GLIAC and 4-5 overall after the matches last weekend. The team’s goal to win the conference and compete in further competition remains the same.
“I think our team can do a little bit better, but I know with my experience that we can definitely bounce back from this,” Wolfe said. “We haven’t dug ourselves into a huge hole, and I know we can definitely dig ourselves back out and be successful.”
Next on the schedule, the ’Cats take on Lake Superior State University (1-4 GLIAC, 2-7 overall) at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 23 in Sault Ste. Marie. The following day, they head down to Midland to take on Northwood (4-6 overall) at 4 p.m. Sept. 24.
“We really want to focus on what we’ve been struggling with this year and be really successful with those specific aspects,” Wolfe said.
Yoder said he thinks this team is one of the best in the conference, and the ’Cats are working on making their performance more consistent.
“I think we’re at times underachieving and at times achieving what we’re capable of playing,” Yoder said. “If we go in and play to our potential, our chances are very good to come out with a win.”
