The NMU volleyball ’Cats spiked their way to a win and a loss over the weekend, splitting their games against Hillsdale and Northwood.

The Wildcats took on the Hillsdale Chargers on Friday, Nov. 2 and the Northwood Timberwolves on Saturday, Nov. 3, defeating the Chargers 3-1 and losing against the Timberwolves 3-0.

The ’Cats walked away from the matches 10-6 in the GLIAC and 18-11 overall this season.

NMU head coach Dominic Yoder said the pacing of the game was consistent, but the team lacked concentration.

“Tempo was fine over the weekend, but we just weren’t focused against Northwood,” Yoder said. “There were some upsets in the conference during last night’s win that really allowed us to be able to sneak ahead a couple of teams. There is not one single team in our conference that we can’t beat. As long as everything works out next weekend, we should be able to make it to conference tournament.”

The Timberwolves closed the weekend with a close match against the ’Cats, remaining undefeated in the GLIAC at 16-0.

Scores for the game tallied 25-22 in the first set, 25-23 in the second and 25-21 in the third.

“We just weren’t focused on the game plan,” Yoder said. “When we did during the first two sets, it was really close. Even in the third set, it was still pretty close. Again, the tempo was fine. We just did not pass-serve very well.”

While the game ultimately ended with a loss, the ’Cats’ lines did not go down effortlessly. Offensively, junior left-side Lina Lopes led NMU with 14 kills. Junior left-side middle Kalli Herron tallied six more kills. Defensively, senior libero Kalin Zimmerman contributed 11 digs.

Junior libero Suzanne Solin contributed eight digs.

Lopes said the team had a lot of energy going into the game and have goals to aim for while going into the rest of the season.

“We need to play angry, that’s for sure,” Lopes said. “In general, the lines were working well together tonight. We weren’t focusing on the little things. Each point is important, and then at the end of the set, that’s what counts. We just need to keep the little details in mind and focus on each one of them, like serve-receive and each serve that we missed.”

On Friday, the Wildcats took the first set to start off the match 25-14.

The Hillsdale Chargers answered the set with a win of their own, scoring 25-21 in the second. NMU kept the lead for the rest of the game, winning the final two sets 25-22 each.

Yoder said the energy during the night helped the team to keep an eye on the pace of the game.

“If we are serving well and we are passing well, then our energy will be high,” Yoder said. “That’s how we control the tempo of the match and of the sets.”

Lopes once again led the Wildcat offense, marking a season-high of 17 kills. Herron was right behind her with 13 kills, while junior middle-hitter Sarah Hamilton contributed 12.

Hamilton said the game plan worked out well with special plays while playing against the Timberwolves.

“We came out really excited to play and prepared,” Hamilton said. “We have been working a lot with our scramble plays during practice. Our reversals were probably working the most this evening, while our outsides were doing a phenomenal job, too. They go hand-in-hand.”

Defensively, Zimmerman tallied 17 digs for yet another season-high, while Harley followed closely with 11. Lopes contributed her own 10 digs. Harley assisted her Wildcat offense, setting up 46 assists.

The Wildcats are gearing up to finish their regular season next weekend at home. Fans can catch the team in the Vandament Arena.

NMU will be playing at 7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 9 against Saginaw Valley and at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 10 against Lake Superior State.