The Wildcat volleyball team will be hosting Grand Valley State University and Ferris State University for a two-game home stand on Friday, Oct. 30 at 5 p.m. and Saturday, Oct. 31 at 4 p.m. at the Vandament Arena.
The Wildcats lost to the Ohio Dominican Panthers three sets to two on Friday, Oct. 23. Against the Tiffin Dragons on Saturday, Oct. 24, the ‘Cats won three sets to none.
Against the Panthers, the Wildcats won the first two sets with scores of 25-22 and 25-14, but the Panthers took over, winning the next two sets, 25-21 and 27-25 and eventually winning the match with a fifth set victory with a 15-12 set win.
Senior line setter Lisa Studnicka, sophomore middle hitter Kayla Chosa and sophomore line setter/middle hitter Madison Whitehead all reached double digits in kills while senior libero Alex Berger recorded 31 digs for the ’Cats.
Sophomore setter Jami Hogeboom set a career-high in assists, recording 58, in the match.
In the match against the Dragons, the ’Cats won the first two sets 25-19 and 25-16, and in the third set, the Wildcats made quick work of the Dragons, winning 25-7. The Wildcats went on a 9-0 run during the third set with Studnicka serving.
Freshman line setter Autumn Monsma had nine kills and a hitting percentage of .615 for the ’Cats while junior middle hitter Bridget Bussell had five kills and a hitting percentage of .364.
“I think we did well this past weekend,” head coach Dominic Yoder said. “Against Tiffin, we did outstanding, especially since it was the more difficult match for us. Against Ohio Dominican, we played well in the first two sets but we made too many errors in the other three sets.”
Hogeboom had a game-high 37 assists while Berger posted 19 digs in the victory.
“We learned some lessons during the matches this weekend,” Berger said. “We had some good comebacks and a lot of perseverance during the matches.”
The Grand Valley State Lakers will be coming to Marquette 14-8 for the season and 8-3 in GLIAC play.
Leading the Lakers this season is freshman middle blocker Staci Bower, who has recorded 222 kills and is averaging 3.13 kills a set. Laker senior libero Taylor Shomin leads the team with 342 digs.
The Wildcats lost to the Lakers last season three sets to none. Whitehead led the ’Cats with ten kills and three blocks.
The Ferris State Bulldogs are 22-1 this season with a GLIAC record of 11-0.
The Bulldogs beat the Wildcats last season three sets to none. Whitehead led the ’Cats with eight kills with Bussell led the team with two blocks.
Leading the Bulldogs this season is senior outside hitter Megan Vander Meer, who has recorded 246 kills and 225 digs. Senior libero Danielle Dowd has recorded 333 digs for the Bulldogs.
“These are the last two home games for our seniors, Berger and Studnicka,” Yoder said. “They’ve worked hard the last three and a half years and it’s their last go around on this court. It’s parent appreciation weekend as well so it’s going to be fun.”
The ’Cats are 16-7 this season and have a GLIAC conference record of 5-6. The Wildcats are currently fourth in the GLIAC standings.
The Wildcats have already clinched a berth in the GLIAC tournament with a GLIAC tournament quarterfinal home game clinched as well. The tournament begins on Wednesday, Nov. 18.
“It’s really exciting to be facing some good competition,” Berger said. “We’re going to get two wins.”
