The Northern Michigan University Volleyball team went undefeated in the Midwest Region Volleyball Crossover tournament this past weekend, defeating Cedarville University on Friday before downing the University of Southern Indiana and the Missouri University of Science and Technology on Saturday. The Wildcats extended their winning streak to four games after their strong performance in the tournament.
Friday’s game against Cedarville saw two evenly matched teams compete, with the first set being tied on 13 separate occasions with neither team able to extend their lead to more than three points. NMU won that first set 26-24, then went on to take the second set 25-12. In the third set, again, another tight affair saw Cedarville edge the Wildcats 26-24, but Northern took the fourth set by the comfortable margin of 25-10 and won the match 3-1.
NMU’s first game on Saturday was against Southern Indiana, and again, the Wildcats had to endure a hard-fought match. The first set was close, with Northern being down 23-19, but six straight points for the Wildcats saw them take the set 25-23. The second set was similarly close, but Southern Indiana came out on top by a score of 25-20, evening the match at one set apiece. NMU won the third and fourth sets by scores of 25-14 and 25-17, respectively, to win their second match of the tournament 3-1.
After a short break, the Wildcats were back on the court for their final match of the weekend, this time against Missouri Science and Technology. NMU came out strong in the first set, winning 25-15, and they carried that momentum into the second set, winning the first four points and maintaining a lead on their way to a 25-22 set victory. The third set was the most tightly contested of the three, with Missouri S&T taking an early lead before Northern bounced back and tied the set 14-14. The Wildcats were able to get back in front and win the set 25-23, securing the 3-0 sweep of the match.
Next, the Wildcats will take the court at 7 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 19, when they return to GLIAC play by hosting Saginaw Valley State University from Vandament Arena.