As the first week of classes kick off on campus, the energy within the Wildcats’ locker room is filled with excitement. With the season opener in the books, the team is in high spirits and eager to hit the court this weekend for the Upper Peninsula Open.
Michael Lozier, head women’s volleyball coach, started by discussing the positive atmosphere and emphasizing the importance in finding balance between academics and athletics. The athletes took a day off to familiarize themselves with their class schedules, helping them to get more acclimated to their studies.
“We do our best to prioritize academics for them,” Lozier said. “Ultimately, I think they’re really excited to open our season at home on Thursday and get the season going.”
Lozier then touched on the recent green and gold scrimmages, highlighting the fast-paced nature of the earlier parts of the season where change is occurring so rapidly, that any film is rendered outdated by the next game. Nevertheless, these scrimmages offer not only valuable insights into the team’s strengths but also areas that may require improvement.
“I learned that we are capable of being really good,” Lozier said. “We are going to need some freshmen to step up and get the job done. I think we have a couple that can do that.”
Lozier prefaced the importance of this upcoming weekend, centered around the highly anticipated UP Open tournament. The Wildcats are set to play against tough opponents like Hillsdale College, University of Minnesota Crookston and Concordia University St. Paul.
“We played Crookston on Thursday, and we have played them in the past,” Lozier said. “But Friday is set to be a formidable test, featuring Hillsdale, a team that reached the Sweet 16 last year, and Concordia, the reigning national runner-up.”
Lozier emphasized the importance of facing tough opponents, especially while at home where the Wildcats can rely on the support of the home crowd. This weekend is also a great opportunity to gauge how the Wildcats will progress against high-caliber opponents.
“When you’re a part of this program, you’re competing and preparing to win championships. Facing teams like Hillsdale and Concordia serves as an excellent barometer for our aspirations,” Lozier said.
Following the win for the season opener against Minnesota Crookston, the Wildcats fell to 1-3 after dropping the final three games of the UP Open. NMU faced some very tough competition in the tournament and will travel to Duluth, MN for the Duluth Tournament next weekend Sep. 7-9 and will look to gain traction and find a couple of wins on the road.
