The Wildcats have struggled to gain traction after an injury to redshirt senior Jacqueline Smith seemed to derail the hopes of building on the previous 23-9 season. NMU was 2-10 on the season heading into arguably the biggest rivalry matchup they have against Michigan Tech this Thursday, returning home from a tough road trip.
“There is a little bit of extra excitement every time you’re playing this match, and the history of this rivalry is something that’s special,” Head Coach Mike Lozier said. “I’m just excited to go out there and compete against a Tech team who’s always been a thorn in our side and so we’re trying to go out there and just be a better team and get the win.”
After being unable to fully get a win after three consecutive 1-3 set losses, NMU was able to get a 3-0 sweep of the Huskies on the road. There was a balanced attack from the team with redshirt senior Meghan Meyer leading the way with 14 points, and Jacqueline Smith was close behind with 13.5 points. Senior Lauren Van Remortel had a huge night, helping lead the ‘Cats to victory with 34 assists.
“I’ve been doing everything in my power over the last week to continue to make this team better, to understand how they can be better and to pump them up,” Lozier said. “You don’t want to live in this spiral of negativity and toxicity because that only feeds into what’s happening, you have to find a way to break that cycle.”
Lozier spoke about how important it is for the team to stay focused and continue to work hard. He and the team have been working to fix on- and off-court habits after the early season slump, and this win may be just what they need to shift the momentum and gain some confidence heading into the second half of the season.
This weekend the ‘Cats will host Ferris State, the top team in the GLIAC this season, and Lake Superior State, another rival of the Wildcats. Both teams will be a huge test for NMU with pressure still on the team to perform and a sweep over the Huskies only intensifying that expectation.
“We’ve known all these teams as these kinds of teams that have hovered around the bottom and they’re now raising, they’re competing, we have to raise ours with it,” Lozier said. “And so, I’m looking forward to being at home again and getting the opportunity to play in front of our home crowd and get some momentum that way.”
