The NMU Volleyball team found itself in the AVCA top 25 rankings last week at No. 24. Northern will most likely be moving up in this week’s poll after sweeping Lake Superior State University to make nine wins in a row.
NMU (9-1) has won nine matches in a row and has not lost a single set in their past four matches against LSSU and Northwood University. Granted, the Lakers have the worst record in the GLIAC and have won one set all season, but Head Coach Mike Lozier was happy with his team’s focus to play well against a struggling opponent.
“Now Lake State is not playing amazing right now obviously, because they have only won one set the entire year, but one of the hardest things to do is to go to an opponent’s gym that’s not playing well and not play down to a lower level,” Lozier said. “I felt like for the majority of the time during that weekend, we were playing our style of volleyball, playing it well and affecting our opponent.”
Even though Lake State has had a rough go of things this season, NMU has defeated some quality squads such as Northwood University and Ferris State University. The ‘Cats swept NU in two matches where the outcome was expected to be pretty even, and it clearly was not. Now with Davenport University (7-3), winners of seven of their last eight matches, up next on the road on March 26-27, that same mentality is what Lozier is looking for this week.
“Going back to the preparation for Northwood, that was the most focused and driven that I’ve seen a team in a week of practice in a long time. To have done that and to do it again this week preparing for Lake State, I’m getting the sense that this is how this team operates. If you put opportunities in front of them, they’re going to take advantage of them.” Lozier said. “That’s going to continue to be our goal to beat every team in three [sets] and prepare for pushback from everybody that shows up.”
The two hot teams will meet in Grand Rapids at the Davenport Student Center on Friday, March 26 at 5 p.m., and on Saturday, March 27 at 1 p.m.
